'Seamless continuation'
KADI CEO Christof Lehmann: "This step means a seamless continuation of a long-term corporate development strategy. With the new majority shareholder, we are very pleased to have an experienced and entrepreneurial investor from Switzerland who ensures our independence and will uphold our Langenthal production site and all jobs. "The transaction will be carried out retroactively on 1 October 2018. There are no elaborations on the financial side of the agreements.
The private, owner-managed investment company Paragon Partners from Munich, which acquired a majority stake in the company in 2013, is selling all its shares to new majority shareholder Invision and the management of KADI. "We have invested heavily in the development of KADI and are pleased that the company has grown accordingly," says Marco Attolini of Paragon Partners.
Continuity of business management
Within the management, chaired by CEO Christof Lehmann, there will be no changes except for the fact that, in the spring of 2019 Head of Finance Kurt Mosimann will retire. KADI was able to hire Stephen Schaub as a successor to Kurt Mosimann. He is currently the CFO at Ivers-Lee in Burgdorf, but will start his new job work on 1 January 2019. The existing, experienced management team will ensure the continuity of KADI's business activities as an important player in the Swiss food service and retail sector.
In recent years, KADI has developed into one of the leading brands in the convenience sector with particularly innovative and high-quality products. The company, founded in 1951, specializes in the production of high-quality refrigerated and frozen products for catering and the retail trade. In 2017, KADI achieved sales of over CHF 70 million, with 180 employees.
Innovative power and product qualityKADI AG manufactures refrigerated and frozen products and is based in Langenthal. It employs 180 people and has a turnover of more than CHF 70 million. The company produces around 270 items, which are used every day in over 10,000 restaurants in Switzerland. As an independent company in the food industry, KADI asserts itself on the market with its great innovative strength and high product quality. For more than twenty years, KADI has hosted the "Golden Chef" event, the most important cooking competition in Switzerland. In 2014, the company joined the Energy Agency of the Economy with the aim of reducing its electricity consumption and CO2 emissions by 2 percent per year. The company was founded in 1951 as a potato flake factory.
Since its founding in 1997, the Zug-based company has successfully developed into one of the leading investment companies for corporate succession and growth financing in Europe. Invision invested more than CHF 850 million in equity in more than 50 companies during this time, achieving sustainable increases in value. Invision sees itself as an entrepreneurial partner of founders, entrepreneurs and management teams. Invision puts special emphasis on understanding the specific needs of companies and entrepreneurs and developing individual solutions.
KADI AG - Kühl- und Tiefkühlprodukte
Thunstettenstrasse 27
CH-4900 Langenthal
Telefon +41 (0)62 916 05 00
Telefax +41 (0)62 916 06 80
info@kadi.ch
www.kadi.ch