The value-driven Food & Agri Fund of Anders Invest has, together with a co-investor, acquired a 100% interest in Rhea Holding B.V., a holding company of Eosta BV. Eosta, (known for its ‘Nature & More’ house brand), was established in 1990 and has developed into one of the largest and most sustainably operated European companies in the overseas trading of organic vegetables and fruit. Eosta’s transparency policy and sustainability campaigns, such as The True Cost of Food, have won a multitude of awards, including first place in the Sustainable top 100 and the Koning Willem 1 award. As part of the Anders Invest group, Eosta will play a core role in giving substance to the fund’s ambition to drive the transition to a more sustainable global food system.
The Boards of Anders Invest and Eosta finalised the acquisition on 2 February. Selling shareholders include Triodos Ventures B.V. and Triodos Sustainable Finance Foundation. They have been shareholders since Eosta was founded and they are confident that under this new ownership, Eosta is ready for the next phase of growth.
The activities of Eosta and Nature & More will be continued under the same name. Founder and CEO Volkert Engelsman will join the Advisory Council. CFO Peter Stijkel and chief sourcing and procurement officer Sander Dijkslag are stepping down. Gert Kögeler, Michael Legerstee and Dennis de Wit will continue the day-to-day management of Eosta as members of the new Executive Board. At Anders Invest, Saskia Korink will be responsible for the implementation of Eosta’s strategic agenda. Saskia Korink: “I am really looking forward to the challenge of using the experience I gained in the conventional food and feed market at Eosta. The conventional and organic markets will have to become more sustainable in the next decade. I’m looking forward to contributing to this.”
Transition
Gert Kögeler: “Eosta’s pioneering role and integral vision on sustainability are ideally suited to the ambition of Anders Invest, which intends to contribute to the transition to a more sustainable food system. Organic agriculture and food is the only form of sustainable agriculture that is anchored in laws and certifications and has broad support in the global market. This offers major opportunities for companies like Eosta.”
Synergy
Roderik Bronkhorst, investment manager at Anders Invest: “The acquisition will create new synergies in the field of sustainability and compliance in the Food & Agri Funds of Anders Invest, which was established in 2021 and, with Eosta, will consist of nine companies. This provides us with the possibility to cooperate in a market that is challenging at the moment. A reorganisation has taken place in this context in order to ensure that Eosta is future-proof.
Influential pioneer
Volkert Engelsman: “Eosta was established in 1990 and its integral vision on sustainability, including the Nature & More transparency system, has had an emphatic effect on increasing the sustainability of the international agriculture and food system and the economy as a whole. The company gained a good reputation with many innovations and influential campaigns, including Natural Branding, Dr Goodfood, Living Wages, The True Cost of Food and Save Our Soils. For many years, Eosta has been implementing its Nature & More 4M sustainability model (Measure, Manage, Market, Monetise) throughout its chains in which all ecological and social impacts of food production are included. This gives Eosta an enormous advantage in the light of current developments in European food policy and the need to increase the sustainability of international business and commerce.” Volkert Engelsman will remain involved as an advisor and remains focused on driving Eosta’s sustainability agenda.
Market prospects
Dennis de Wit: “As is generally known, the organic market is currently undergoing turbulence due to inflation, the energy crisis, high freight prices and a somewhat overenthusiastic compliance policy. However, tailwinds are expected from the European Green Deal in the medium term that prescribes 25% of arable land to be organic (Germany even targets 30%). The European green taxonomy and CSRD obligation for companies will also create a culture of transparency and traceability in the industry. Eosta will benefit from this as market leader and has the ambition to significantly increase its turnover in the upcoming years fuelled by both acquisitions and autonomous growth.”
About Anders Invest
Anders Invest is a private equity fund that invests in industrial companies, (medical) real estate, food & agri and greentech. We do things differently: We are focused long term, involved investors and we put people and relationships first. Our values are sustainability, transparency and reciprocity. Since inception in 2014, 4 investment funds have been launched with a total fund size of approx. EUR 500M. Capital has been provided by more than 450 private investors, family offices and by fund management.
