Load. “After the period of temporary difficulty that has marked the last two years, Noberasco can go back to planning for the future thanks to the support of “illimity Credit & Corporate Turnaround fund” (the “Fund” or “iCCT”) managed by illimity SGR, a company of the illimity Group which establishes and manages Alternative Investment Funds specialized in loans to businesses”. The communication regarding the official changing of the guard in the role of CEO comes from the company that operates in Carcare: as already announced in recent months Flavio Ferretti will replace Mattia Noberasco, former manager of the Lavazza group and currently president of Ibc, an association that represents 33 thousand Italian consumer goods industries, while the family member remains as president, Gabriele Noberasco.
Also the mayor Rodolfo Mirri is ready to confront the new leadersand announces that the Municipality has been summoned with the other institutions for a meeting scheduled for the next few days.
“iCCT supported Noberasco SpA (“Noberasco” or the “Company”) in a complex financial operation which includes the entry of the Fund into the capital of the Company with a minority stake, the granting of new finance and the redefinition of the debt overall financial – continues the company – The operation, in addition to allowing the capital and financial strengthening of the company, is part of a broader development path shared between illimity SGR and the Noberasco family, supported in the management by Flavio Ferretti as new CEO, and will allow the historic leading company in the dried and dehydrated fruit sector to continue to play its role as a protagonist in the sector, as it deserves due to its history, vocation and ability
In fact, Noberasco’s new industrial plan presents all the ingredients to guarantee the Company adequate financial and managerial resources to achieve ambitious objectives in line with its mission, which will lead it, also thanks to the financial support of the iCCT Fund, to a acceleration of growth and a strengthening of the leadership position within the most important large-scale retail chains and other sales channels”.
And again: “These objectives will be achievable further enhancing the heritage of a historic group and focusing attention on consumer needs, developing the Horeca channel and out-of-home consumption with increasingly trending healthy products such as snack bars and new “enriched” fruit products. A further driver of development will be sustainability with a concrete commitment towards a very current topic: sustainability continuous search for innovative solutions to minimize environmental impact in every aspect of the supply chain, from production processes to packaging materials. With this in mind, Noberasco has already chosen paper-based packaging for some references: an AT CELCA certified green pack which guarantees the disposal of the bags in the paper circuit. A first objective to which others will be added, in line with the expectations of the European Green Deal and the UN Agenda 2030. Thus continues the long history of the family Noberasco who has been able to shape the brand of the same name since 1908: their attention to product quality represented the starting point, creating a solid foundation on which to build the Company’s reputation; furthermore, the ability to anticipate and successfully embrace new market trends, implementing innovative marketing campaigns have allowed the Noberasco brand to become synonymous with soft and dried fruit for the Italian consumer, so much so that it is recognized as a historic brand of national interest ”.
Over the last 30 years, Pier Luigi’s children and grandchildren, the third and fourth generations of Noberasco, have continued to invest in relationships with their raw material suppliers in Italy and around the world, paying attention to the evolution of consumer tastes and in the technological innovation of the production process: Noberasco was the first company in the sector to inaugurate, in addition to the single-brand stores, also a online shop which would allow the consumer to be reached directly at home even with the rarest and most prized selections of fruit; in 2017 the Company inaugurated the new industrial center in Carcare (Savona), the result of an investment of over 50 million euros, which represents the most advanced plant in the sector in Europe considering the high level of automation of both logistics and of productive ones. All these elements have allowed Noberasco to become the undisputed Italian player of reference in the BIO sector of dried and soft dehydrated fruit, achieving over 100 million in turnover in 2022 and employing around 150 employees.
Among the lines of development, particular attention will also be paid to exports, a channel which has always been strategic for Noberasco: the Ligurian company is, in fact, looking with interest at covering markets with interesting potential such as Germany, Austria, German-speaking Switzerland and Northern Europe.
A relaunch plan, therefore, supported by clear strategic guidelines: attention to the highest quality and ethical nature of the products, that “Noberasco Method” which has characterized the company’s operations since its origins and sets as its objective attention to well-being and to the valorization of the “heart” of the Ligurian company: its employees and the entire workforce who, over the years, has represented the driving force of Noberasco and who has never failed to show their support to the company, even in moments of greatest difficulty.
History and innovation, quality and sustainability, strategy and planning: these are the ingredients of the new successful mix to continue writing the future of Noberasco.
Flavio Ferretti, new CEO, commented: “Noberasco has its roots in Liguria, where it has been investing and producing for 116 years. Today this company, also awarded the prestigious honor as ‘Historic Brand of National Interest’, can finally return to show the market how the difficulties of the last two years can be considered behind us: the crisis, dictated by the combined effects of the pandemic and war conflicts exploded in the aftermath of the significant infrastructural and productive investments implemented by Noberasco, can be said to have been overcome also thanks to the financial support of the iCCT Fund”.
Gabriele Noberasco, President, adds: “From 1908 to today Noberasco has operated uninterruptedly in the name of quality, innovation and research; today more than ever the company’s entrepreneurial choices are oriented towards the evolution of its operations to continue to stand out” and continues: “Thanks to its over a century-old legacy and its desire to create excellence by aiming for Made in Italy we will carry forward our brand – which will see the family, together with the new governance, united in facing the new challenges, with our collaborators at our side”.
Paola Tondelli, Head of UTP & Turnaround Funds of illimity SGR declared: “We strongly believe in the relaunch prospects of Noberasco, and we are convinced that the company is an icon in the world of food in Italy, and in particular in an online market segment with the new eating habits of consumers, who are increasingly looking for healthy and functional products. We are happy to be able to undertake this journey alongside the Noberasco family with whom we share values and objectives” and Pietro Diana, Investment Director of illimity SGR, added: “We are very satisfied with this operation which confirms illimity SGR’s ability to promote and facilitate discussions and negotiations between entrepreneurs and creditors, helping to lay the foundations for the construction of value for all stakeholders”.
