Grupo Piracanjuba expands with acquisition of Natulact

BRAZIL – Grupo Piracanjuba, a dairy company known for its Piracanjuba brand, has acquired Santa Barbara Indústria e Comércio de Bens e Laticínios Ltda (Natulact) for an undisclosed sum, strengthening its presence in the Northern region of Brazil.

With the transaction, Grupo Piracanjuba will have its first manufacturing unit in the Northeast Region, increasing the number of factories currently in operation to eight. The other seven are located in the Centre-West, South and Southeast regions of the country.

“It will be the first factory of the Piracanjuba Group in the Northeast, reinforcing the company’s expansion in the region, as we will become more competitive,” President of the Piracanjuba Group, Luiz Claudio Lorenzo, stated.

Grupo Piracanjuba stated that the acquisition was motivated by the Group’s interest in expanding its national coverage. Factors that influenced the decision included the synergy between the companies and the strategic geographic position of the industry, which is located in one of the largest dairy basins in the Northeast.

The transaction will still be subject to approval by the Brazilian Administrative Council for Economic Defence (CADE).

The president emphasised that the transition is intended to be seamless for all involved, including employees, suppliers, and the community.

He stated that the Piracanjuba Group is committed to its purpose of fostering care that sustains life and stressed the importance of building strong relationships, particularly with employees and milk producers.

He also acknowledged the need to respect local characteristics and expressed confidence that the group would both contribute to and learn from the process, continuing Santa Barbara’s initiatives to promote socioeconomic development and strengthen the dairy sector in Sergipe.

The company will maintain all direct jobs generated by the factory, currently around 260, most of them in manufacturing jobs, in addition to the milk suppliers.

The Natulact acquisition contract provides for the Piracanjuba Group to take full control of the industry. Luiz noted that production will begin immediately under the Natulact brand and will gradually be transferred to the Piracanjuba brand.

Grupo Piracanjuba will maintain Natulact’s cheese line while gradually expanding the portfolio and increasing production capacity. 

Natulact is a Brazilian dairy company specialising in cheese and dairy derivatives, including muçarela, coalho, prato, minas frescal cheeses, as well as butter, requeijão, and powdered whey. It is based in Nossa Senhora da Glória, Sergipe, a region known for its strong dairy industry.

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