Orléans, November 23, 2023 - Sofiprotéol, Avril's investment company, committed to agricultural and food sector players, has just acquired a stake in MARTIN-POURET, Master Vinegar Maker since 1797. An important step for the development of the Orléans-established business, which will open its new facility in September 2024.
Martin-Pouret, founded in 1797, is the last-existing company to master the ancestral Orléans vinegar-making method. Martin-Pouret's Master Vinegar Makers elevate the art of making vinegar to the highest level, from working with grape varieties, through flavoring to aging in oak casks. Martin-Pouret has also applied this know-how to creating vinegar-based condiments. The company brought Orléans mustard back to the fore, using a vinegar recipe imagined in the 16th century, and has developed its own pickles, ketchup and mayonnaise.
Martin-Pouret was taken over by David Matheron and Paul-Olivier Claudepierre in 2019. They intend to promote this flagship of gastronomy in France and abroad by focusing on evermore responsible production.
Sofiprotéol, created in 1983 at the initiative of the agricultural community, is Avril's financing and development company. Sofiprotéol supports companies in the agricultural and food sector with financing solutions tailored to their growth ambitions. Sofiprotéol is highly-committed to the development of players in the field of healthy, sustainable food and, for the last 40 years, has been financing businesses that choose lasting quality with its own equity.
Values that are fully shared by Martin-Pouret, the only company that has perpetuated the tradition of Orléans' Master Vinegar Makers and Mustard Makers since 1797, and whose vinegar, mustard and pickle production is 100% Made in France. For Paul-Olivier Claudepierre and David Matheron, the two Martin-Pouret partners, "Sofiprotéol has perfect knowledge of our trade, shares our vision of responsible, high-quality food, and promotes French manufacturing". Three key points to forge a sustainable, ambitious partnership.
Violaine Grison, Co-Head of Investment at Sofiprotéol, declares: "Sofiprotéol is delighted to support the directors of Martin-Pouret in their growth ambitions. The construction of a new facility will boost the company's local roots. Supporting entrepreneurs, playing a role in the development of SMEs in our regions and ensuring the know-how of our companies is preserved over the long term are at the heart of Sofiprotéol's mission".
Sofiprotéol's minority shareholding is part of Martin-Pouret's growth strategy, a company that has made its local roots as well as the quality and elegance of its products its trademark. The Orléans vinegar maker will open the doors of its new facility in September 2024, a site whose positive impact on employment and on the region's attractiveness looks highly-promising.
Participants:
Business Consultants:
Transversale (M&A advice): Laura Wagner, Martin Finkler
Bourgeois Rezac Mignon (legal advice): Louis-Marie Bourgeois, Lydia Hebert
Investors:
Sofiprotéol: Violaine Grison, Martin Mézières, Gaspard d’Auvigny, Anne Sophie Dubourg (legal)