Citres, the family-owned, Italian, preserves business, has sold a majority of its shares to Clessidra Private Equity.

The buy-out house has added to its interests in food with the acquisition of a 70% stake in the pesto-to-salsa supplier.

The Compri family, who set up in Citres in 1958, will retain a 30% stake in the business and be “actively involved in its operations”, a statement announcing the deal read. Financial terms were not disclosed.

According to the statement, Citres generated revenues of around €40m ($44.8m) in 2025. Exports accounted for approximately 40% of sales.

“Citres is a great fit with what we look for in an investment: a strong commitment to quality, deep roots in its local market and a strong track record of innovation,” Clessidra Private Equity CEO Andrea Ottaviano said.

The deal is the third the private-equity firm has made through its Clessidra Green Harvest fund. The investor set up the fund last year to back agri-food SMEs in Italy.

In November, the fund acquired a majority stake in local Italian baked goods maker Laurieri for an undisclosed sum.

Citres has a 30,000-square-metre site in Bovolone in northern Italy.

“Our goal is to accelerate the company’s growth by expanding production capacity, strengthening its presence in international markets and maintaining a strong focus on ESG across the entire value chain,” Clessidra Private Equity MD Marco Guglielminetti added.

Lorena and Davide Compri, the children of Citres’s founder, Renzo, have run the business for the last 40 years.

“This evolution reflects the changing dynamics of our market and will enable us to further strengthen our organisation and production capabilities, creating new growth opportunities for the company and its people,” Lorena Compri said. “The partnership is already translating into concrete initiatives, including the ongoing expansion of our production capacity.”

Just Food has asked if Lorena and Davide Compri will stay on with the business.