Aksìa Capital V, a fund managed by Aksìa Group, acquires – through the investee Valpizza – of La Pizza + 1, a company with premium quality positioning, leader in Italy in the production of rectangular pizza, pinsa, focaccia, fresh and room temperature.

Aksìa Group was assisted by the law firm Giliberti Triscornia e Associati for the legal aspects, by EY for the financial due diligence, ESG and debt advisory aspects, by the law and tax firm Russo De Rosa Associati for tax matters, by De Luca & Partners for labour law aspects and by Equita K Finance, partner of Clairfield International and part of Equita Group, as buy-side advisor.
The financing of the transaction was organised and structured by Crédit Agricole Italia, agent bank, and Intesa Sanpaolo, assisted by the law firm Dentons.

The sellers of La Pizza + 1, Sante Ludovico and Giuseppe Ambrosi, who reinvested in the transaction, were assisted by Pedersoli Studio Legale, for the legal aspects, and by CP Advisors as sell-side advisor.
Notary Arrigo Roveda assisted the parties during the closing.

Valpizza, headquartered in Valsamoggia (Bologna), pursues its strategic plan focused on vertical and horizontal integration in the pizza business, asserting its market leadership.
La Pizza + 1 is the third add-on operation completed by Valpizza with the Aksìa Capital V fund after the acquisition, in November 2020, of Megic Pizza – leader in the production of fresh round pizzas preserved in modified atmosphere (ATM) – and the one carried out in May 2021 of C&D – a company active in the production of frozen finger food and single-portion specialties.

The operation will contribute to the further growth of Valpizza, which will close 2021 with a turnover of 70 million Euros, aiming at doubling its turnover by 2025, thanks to the creation of a unique “integrated pizza pole” on the international scene.
Founded in 1996 by Sante Ludovico with the financial support of Giuseppe Ambrosi, and based in Garica di Podenzano (Piacenza, Italy), La Pizza + 1 uses only selected ingredients for its products. The range of products includes pizza ranges, from traditional to organic, pinse, focaccia, both for the retail market and for professional use. Leader on the national market, thanks to the historical and strong relationships with the main players of the G.D.O. and Ho.Re.Ca. world, the company has started a process of business internationalization, supported by the optimization of production processes.

The growth strategy also includes the start-up of a new production line dedicated to pinsa, a product in constant and strong development in the domestic and international market, which will be added to the investments already started by the company, of over 7.5 million Euros, to implement an innovative production plant, aimed at doubling the production capacity.
The complementary nature of the business will allow La Pizza + 1 to take advantage of the industrial synergies and commercial network of the Valpizza Group, a leader in the production of frozen pizzas with a production capacity of over 80 million pizzas per year and already a supplier of its own brand products and those of the distributor, in all continents.

“We are very pleased to have supported the Group’s growth strategy in a dynamic and rapidly developing market. This transaction allows Valpizza to establish itself as a leading player in the Italian market of reference, opening up new development scenarios also abroad, with the aim of exporting the quality of Made in Italy products,” said Marco Rayneri, Founding Partner of Aksìa Group.

Marco Setti, CEO of Valpizza, commented: “This is a transaction with significant strategic potential, which brings the Valpizza family to add another important step to its growth path. We are proud to team up with a major player like La Pizza + 1, which has been able, over the years, to innovate so much both in terms of product and process, achieving solid results that will contribute to the success of the whole Group”.