Busemann joins
                     the MDS Group

We supported the generational transition – from the desire to ease the burden to a sustainable succession plan.

The company Busemann:

Busemann GmbH, based in Bergkamen, was founded in 1974 and has grown from a garage-based business into an established manufacturer of water ice and popcorn. Under the BUSSY brand, the company, together with its sister company ILJAKI GmbH & Co. KG, supplies the food retail and wholesale sectors.

With up to 200 employees, modern production facilities and certified processes (including IFS Food, organic, and, where required, Halal and Fairtrade), Busemann stands for high quality, flexibility and long-standing customer relationships both at home and abroad. The product range includes water ice lollies, slush ice and popcorn in a wide variety of flavours, complemented by customisable packaging solutions.

The challenge

There were no prospects for succession within the family. At the same time, the shareholders wished to have more time for their families and personal lives. Against this backdrop, the aim was to find a value-oriented succession solution as part of a structured M&A process.

The search was on for an equity investor operating on a sustainable economic basis who would safeguard jobs, maintain the Bergkamen site and integrate long-serving managers into the future business plan. The situation was complicated by COVID-19-related losses in turnover in the popcorn business, as well as sharply fluctuating raw material prices and a significant rise in inflation.

The solution: MDS Holding as a partner

We structured and managed the entire M&A and succession process – from the transaction concept and marketing documentation, through investor outreach, management presentations and data room organisation, to valuation, the bidding phase and support during contract negotiations. In doing so, we provided exclusively business and transaction-related services; legal and tax matters were handled by the client’s own advisers.

In MDS Holding GmbH, an investor was found who shares the founders’ philosophy, is committed to long-term growth and aims to further develop the business internationally. As part of the transaction, the existing shareholders were able to sell their entire shareholding as intended; jobs and the company’s location were secured; and long-serving executives were integrated into the future strategy.