The English Cheesecake Company was founded as a family business in 2000. The originally small artisanal producer has become a trendsetter in the premium cheesecake segment. The Company has grown to £23 million turnover and is represented in all major retail chains in the UK.
Emmi is the leading manufacturer of high-quality dairy products in Switzerland. It is a listed group with a strong local presence in 15 countries.
Emmi already has a successful cheesecake range in the British food service market through its subsidiary Mademoiselle Desserts but desired a strong and complementary retail brand to diversify its routes to market.
Watersheds was engaged to help Mademoiselle Desserts execute this strategy by sourcing appropriate acquisition targets. The deal was led by John Stopher.
“We’re delighted to have successfully completed this acquisition. We presented a selection of opportunities to the client and worked closely with them to achieve the best deal that would meet their ambitions for expansion in the UK,” John explained.
“Ultimately, this is a perfect example of how we use our expertise and contacts to identify off-market deals and bring strategic acquisitions smoothly to fruition. There is an exciting opportunity ahead for the combined teams to unlock substantial growth potential.
“The bolt-on acquisition increases our presence in the fast-growing premium cheesecakes segment and contributes to the global indulgence megatrend. This represents a further step towards advancing our strong market position in the global premium desserts market and creating synergies within our portfolio,” Didier Boudy, EVP Emmi Desserts added.