Morato Group has acquired Germany’s Jaus Bakery and its Italian distributor CEA Italia.
The financial terms were not disclosed in a statement from Morato, the Italian bakery products manufacturer that has built up its business through acquisitions.
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According to Morato, the transaction creates a “European bakery hub” with more than €500m ($559m) in consolidated revenue.
The deal includes two production sites in Germany, in Weißenhorn, Bavaria, and Dinklage, Lower Saxony, along with approximately 310 employees.
Morato said it now operates 19 manufacturing facilities across Italy, Spain, France, and Germany with 54 production lines.
Jaus Bakery “enriches” Morato’s portfolio through the Daily Bread and Jaus brands, joining products sold under the Morato, Roberto, Nutrifree, and Rusticana brands.
It also “strengthens production capacity in buns, sandwich bread and toast bread”, the group said.
Morato put its annual production capacity at 180,000 tonnes.
Stefano Maza, Morato’s chairman and CEO, called the deal a “decisive step in Morato Group’s growth journey” and the “scale we are achieving through this transaction provides us with new opportunities to grow and compete internationally”.
The group said Jaus Bakery “significantly strengthens” its presence in the DACH region, while complementing its existing manufacturing and commercial operations in southern and western Europe.
The Pitticco and Zamboni families, which “contributed to the development” of CEA Italia and Jaus Bakery, have “chosen to participate in the group’s new ownership structure”, according to the statement.
Under the new structure, Sergio Pitticco will lead the commercial side of the business across sales, marketing, and R&D, while Fabio Zamboni will head up supply chain operations, overseeing procurement, planning, and logistics.
The acquisition continues Morato’s expansion in Europe.
In 2024, the group acquired a 51% stake in Italian gluten-free producer Massimo Zero, adding pasta, biscuits, and breadcrumbs to its free-from portfolio.
A year earlier, it purchased a production site in Gauchy, France, from Barilla.
Morato, founded in 1970 and headquartered in Altavilla Vicentina, comes under the ownership of parent company Morato Pane in which private-equity firm Aliante Partners holds a 68.6% stake.
