Santa Maria owner picks up family-owned sauce manufacturer

Food and beverage company Paulig, which owns brands including Santa Maria, has acquired Panesar Foods, a UK-based manufacturer of sauces, salsas and condiments.

Paulig intends the acquisition to accelerate its growth in the world foods category, combining its flavouring experience with Panesar Food’s manufacturing and innovation capabilities and its ability to quickly bring products to market.

Founded in 1992, Panesar Foods is a family-owned company with three production facilities in Tipton. It generated a turnover of €70m (fiscal year 2023) and 308 employees, who will all continue working as new members of Paulig.

The manufacturer’s main trade area is the UK, while Paulig is a market leader in Tex Mex in Europe, and also present in other world food categories such as Asia, India and flavouring, where it has a strong position in the Nordics.

Rolf Ladau, CEO of Paulig, said: “We have collaborated with Panesar Foods for 17 years, and we are very pleased to welcome the company to Paulig. Today, our combined taste expertise and innovation skills unite around a shared ambition: to accelerate our international growth and expand our world foods offerings with sauces, salsas, condiments, marinades, and dips.”

Bill Panesar, CEO of Panesar Foods, said: “As Panesar Foods becomes part of Paulig, I am confident that our ambitions for international growth will be realised, and the business will continue to thrive. We share a strong commitment to innovation and delivering high-quality, flavourful products, and I look forward to bringing even more delicious products to the market, together.”

MD Jas Panesar added: “This partnership will allow us to reach new markets and deliver our authentic world food flavours to a broader audience. We look forward to combining our passion for quality food with Paulig’s commitment to sustainability and innovation.”

Oghma Partners advised on the acquisition. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.