GLOBAL meat processor JBS has agreed to purchase Vivera, Europe’s third-largest plant-based protein producer, in a deal worth the equivalent of A$532 million that thrusts JBS deeper into the animal protein replacement market.

The purchase includes three manufacturing units and a research and development centre in The Netherlands.

Vivera develops and produces a broad range of plant-based meat replacement products for major retailers in 25 countries across Europe, with key market share in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany.

The acquisition of Vivera strengthens and boosts JBS’ global plant-based products platform, investors were told this week.

Strong growth is expected in the category throughout global markets, and the deal will add a brand to JBS’s value-added foods portfolio.

The Vivera range will join other JBS initiatives such as Seara’s Incrível plant-based hamburger range, and Planterra, with the OZO brand in the United States.

“This acquisition is an important step to strengthen our global plant-based protein platform,” JBS Global chief executive Gilberto Tomazoni said.

“Vivera will give JBS a stronghold in the plant-based sector, with technological knowledge and capacity for innovation.”

JBS plans to manage Vivera as a standalone business unit, to ‘nurture its entrepreneurial spirit,’ with its current leadership team to remain in place.

“Joining forces with JBS gives us access to significant resources and capabilities to accelerate our current strong growth trajectory and Vivera brand expansion,” Vivera CEO Willem van Weede said.

Vivera has been a pioneer in the development of vegetarian and plant-based meal components in Europe since 1990. It has since grown into one of the three largest plant-based meat producers in Europe, with an extensive and growing range of more than 50 products, available in more than 27,000 supermarkets in 25 European countries.

The company has almost 400 employees with its headquarters and three production sites in the Netherlands. The company says its mission is to stimulate the consumption of vegetable proteins.

Soue: Vivera, JBS