El Borme formalizes takeover of ProA fund in Agricola Villena

interest in the cooperative of ProA from Villena, one of its providers Mercadona in the state – took place last June, but once the operation was not completed until the beginning of August. according to the template Making the necessary adjustments for the viability of the firm.

In this regard, it should be noted that the arrival of the fund took place after the closure of Agricola Villena. ceased operations at the end of last year, given the reduction in workload and the increase in costs incurred. A situation that led even the managers at the time to offer an ERTE for the company’s nearly 300 employees. However, due to social pressure, Mercadona decided to mediate and sign an agreement with the firm to purchase their products directly instead of doing it through Anecoop to help its sustainability.

This gave the firm some air to look for a new investment partner who would provide new capital to make the investments it needed to secure its future. That investor was the ProA fund, which finally plans to allocate it soon. 10 million euros to modernize the facilities and to process new products.

Of course, the operation also required an agreement with the personnel, which meant: dismissal of 30 workers and 70 more employees move permanently on a discontinuous basis.

ProA Capital de Inversiones is one of the largest private equity funds in Spain. €1.5 billion under management. The firm has extensive experience in the agri-food industry and is a shareholder in companies such as Pastas Gallo, Moyca, Hijolusa or Delafruit, among others. Agrícola Villena was born as a cooperative in 1986 and became a limited liability company last year precisely to encourage the entry of new investors and facilitate its management.