Ladco Group sold to Probat Group

Ladco Group, a manufacturer of specialist machinery for cocoa and chocolate production, has been acquired by Probat Group, a German manufacturing and technology group, specialising in cocoa/coffee roasting and processing. Initium advised the Ladco Group on the transaction.

Ladco Group is based in Arbroath, Scotland and Dresden, Germany. The business’ brands MacIntyre, Petzholdt-Heidenauer and Beetz are synonymous with high-quality machinery and equipment for the global cocoa and chocolate industry.

“Initium generated a lot more interest than I expected… we simply couldn’t believe the response” – Stuart Anderson, Ladco Group

Stuart Anderson, founder shareholder and Director of Ladco Group, explained the value added by Initium to the transaction: “The Initium team were excellent and they pulled things together very quickly. I’d worked hard to build the company up over the years and when it came time to sell, I had no idea what the interest might be. Initium generated a lot more interest than I expected, and that pleased me a lot.

“I was very impressed with the way the sale was handled, and we certainly could not have done it ourselves. Talking to my wife post-sale, we both felt very lucky that we chose you. The team brought us enquiries from companies we really weren’t expecting – we simply couldn’t believe the great response Initium got.”