Bevcraft Group has announced the completion of a merger transaction with Heidrun Tapperi AS, the leading mobile canning business in Norway.
The transaction is an all-share equity swap with shares in Bevcraft Group granted as consideration to the owners of Heidrun Tapperi.
Bevcraft Group is a ‘craft can’ specialist established in Mullingar Ireland in 2016 by Ciarán Gorman and Darren Fenton.
Bevcraft services span mobile contract canning, can distribution, can decoration, testing, servicing, and training. The business has operations across six locations in Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands and handles c.100m cans per annum.
Hedirun Tapperi is based in Sandefjord and is led by Eirik Solvåg and Ørjan Solvåg.
In Association with
The group now employs c.40 people across its bases in Sandefjord, Breda in the Netherlands, Mullingar, St Helens, Peterborough, Basingstoke and Leeds/Bradford, and works with over 400 beverage producers across Europe.
Darren Fenton, Bevcraft Group COO, said the two businesses have been working together for years.
“Heidrun is one of the true pioneers of mobile canning in Europe,” Fenton added. “Like Bevcraft they have evolved into a professional full-service craft can specialist with mobile canning, can distribution and technical service offerings.
“We have long considered Heidrun one of the most technically adept and innovative operators as they have had to develop solutions particularly suitable for the Norwegian market which has a much more challenging geography, winter climate and labour market than our existing core markets.
“Unquestionably they will enhance the technical resources of the overall group and add to the overall knowledge base of the business.”
Ciarán Gorman, Bevcraft Group CFO, said the craft beverage market has negotiated a tough year as breweries and beverage producers have dealt with dramatic increases in energy and input costs coupled with shifts in consumer spending.
Gorman stated: “We have always believed our role in the market is to equip our clients with the economies of scale, access to professional solutions and on-demand flexibility. This transaction continues to scale the overall business footprint to a point where more than a quarter of all the breweries in Europe are less than a three hour drive from a Bevcraft base.”
Bevcraft Group was advised on the deal by Chris Ball, Jackie Masterson, Catherine Sweeney and John Doherty of RBK, with Reddy Charlton and SANDS Advokatfirma in Oslo handling the legals.
Photo: Bevcraft Group principals Darren Fenton (left) and Ciarán Corman
