Spain’s Grupo Fuertes has struck another protein acquisition with the purchase of local poultry processor Nutrave.

The deal comes on the heels of last month’s transaction for the Spanish ham business Jamones Albarracín.

Financial terms for both acquisitions were not disclosed by Fuertes, the parent company of ElPozo Alimentación.

Based in Bargas, Toledo, south of the capital Madrid, Nutrave operates across the value chain, from feed to hen rearing to processing and distribution.

Fuertes said in a statement the deal “strengthens” its position in the Spanish poultry market.

As well as fresh poultry sold under the Imperial brand, Nutrave also supplies breaded products such as nuggets and fillets, along with burger and BBQ chicken wings, according to its website.

It operates out of a single site in Toledo.

Fuertes added that Nutrave’s owners, three different families, will remain shareholders but did disclose further details.

While Fuertes also made an acquisition early last year in pork with the purchase of another local business Agropor – struck through its Cefusa livestock subsidiary – the Spanish group has also been active in other poultry M&A.

In July, Fuertes entered the chicken market for the first time with the acquisitions of Tolvasa and Paasa, two Spanish family-based businesses focused on the breeding, processing and sale of chicken.

Announcing the deal for Nutrave, Fuertes said the transaction acts as a wedge against foreign competition entering the country’s market, what it called an “important counterweight” that will keep local poultry production in the “hands of Spanish family businesses”.

Fuertes is headquartered in Alhama de Murcia in south-eastern Spain.

Its businesses span pig and cow rearing, poultry and cheese processing, and the production of mineral water and wine. The group also has interests in the real-estate and petrochemicals sectors.

As well as ElPozo Alimentación and Cefusa, its other operations include Agrifusa and Aquadeus.