About the deal

Founded in 1987 in France, ACFRI designs, manufactures and distributes blast chilling, deep-freezing, crust-freezing, and thawing products solutions, for the food industry, central kitchens, restaurants and bakeries. ACFRI also serves the healthcare sector with freezing solutions for Human Plasma and eutectic plates used for vaccines logistic amongst others.

ACFRI is known for its constant investment in R&D, its internationally recognized expertise in temperature precision, and for its monitoring tools.

Led for the past 26 years by Richard Comby and Sébastien Comby, the company employs 31 people and has achieved a turnover of €12M in 2022, including steadily growing sales abroad. This primary LBO will allow the entry of key executives within the group’s shareholding structure.

With the support of Capital Export, ACFRI intends to strengthen and develop its international presence in Europe, in the Middle East, in India and in Asia, where the commercial successes of the past years have shown great potential.

What we did

Capitalmind Investec has assisted ACFRI’s shareholders throughout the process: designing the transaction strategy, preparing marketing materials and helping to formalize the strategic plan. We also managed a competitive process involving strategic bidders and financial investors, negotiated the key terms and conditions of the deal and acted as a sparring partner by preparing the shareholders for a primary LBO.

“Capitalmind Investec’s team prepared us perfectly for our first transaction. Beyond their technical expertise, they provided smart and wise advice at every stage of the deal, while demonstrating great pedagogy. It made us feel in very good hands.”

Richard Comby and Sébastien Comby, owners of ACFRI