essor Dawn Meats is in talks to buy a large minority stake in France's second largest beef supplier, Elivia.The two companies this week confirmed they are in exclusive negotiations for Dawn Meats to acquire a minority interest in Elivia, a subsidiary of French co-operative Terrena.
"Terrena and Dawn Meats' beef businesses are of similar size and are complementary in the context of their respective markets," a statement said. "The two groups share the same strategic vision oriented around three objectives: quality, performance improvement and the development of new business opportunities, particularly on the European market."
Dawn Meats, which supplies fast food chain McDonald's, was founded by three families of Irish farmers in 1980, and now has 2,700 employees. It achieved €1 billion worth of sales in 2012. The group operates in 40 countries, has many sites for slaughtering, cutting and processing meat in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with one also France.
Elivia employs 2,600 staff. Its parent company Terrena is based in the west of France, covering the Loire Valley, Poitou-Charentes and Brittany.
