Ceres Biotics Acquired by Sustainable Agro Solutions

Stirling Square Capital Partners (“Stirling Square”), a leading pan-European mid-market private equity firm, today announces that its portfolio company Sustainable Agro Solutions (“SAS Group”), a leading developer and producer of biostimulants, soil conditioners, defence activators and other specialty plant nutrition solutions for the agricultural sector, has acquired Ceres Biotics, a biotechnology company specialised in sustainable biosolutions based on microorganisms. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

The acquisition of Ceres Biotics marks another significant milestone in SAS Group’s strategy to build a global leader in agricultural biosolutions. Ceres Biotics brings a highly complementary product portfolio, a robust presence in Europe, trusted and top-quality customer relationships, and strong R&D capabilities focused on obtaining and developing highly efficient probiotic strains. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Spain, Ceres has established itself as an innovator, with more than 550 proprietary strains, robust R&D capabilities, and a strong international profile, trading across more than 20 countries in Europe and beyond.

Stirling Square acquired a majority stake in SAS in July 2021 and has since supported the company’s growth through both organic initiatives – including investments in R&D, product development, development of a new production plan, and market expansion, among others – and targeted acquisitions. Under Stirling Square’s ownership, SAS has significantly accelerated its international growth strategy and strengthened its position as a leader in sustainable agricultural solutions.

Eduard Vallverdú, Chief Executive Officer of SAS Group, commented: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for SAS Group as we undertake an acquisition that marks our expansion into the large and growing field of microbial biosolutions. The talented Ceres Biotics team possesses deep expertise in the microorganisms space and has built an impressive business with significant growth potential. With a high-quality and complementary product portfolio, and its best-in-class R&D capabilities, Ceres Biotics is uniquely positioned for future success. Ceres Biotics’ pioneering work and impressive R&D capabilities in the microorganisms field are highly complementary to our strategy. Together, we will offer a broader, more innovative portfolio to our customers, supporting the transition to more sustainable and productive agriculture. By combining our joint capabilities, we will unlock significant opportunities to reinforce our value proposition, scale production, and broaden customer reach, both in Europe and abroad. We welcome the Ceres Biotics team to SAS Group and look forward to driving continued expansion and long-term value creation together.”

Emilio Marín and Mónica Perdices, Co-Founders of Ceres Biotics, stated: “We are proud of how far Ceres Biotics has come and grateful to our team and partners who have supported us throughout the last 15 years. As part of this next chapter at the heart of SAS Group, we believe Ceres Biotics is uniquely positioned to reach new heights, enhance value for our customers, and offer new opportunities to our employees. This is a crucial step in our journey, and we are delighted that Ceres Biotics is joining SAS Group, which shares our heritage and vision, both underpinned by a strong commitment to R&D and innovation. We see this partnership as a recognition of the quality and dedication of the Ceres Biotics team, and we are excited to see the company continue its growth as part of SAS Group.”

Enrico Biale, Partner at Stirling Square Capital Partners, added: “We are thrilled to announce the combination of SAS and Ceres Biotics, which further demonstrates our commitment to supporting SAS Group’s growth, both organically and inorganically. Ceres Biotics brings deep expertise in the microorganisms space, a robust presence in Europe, and strong customer relationships. The highly complementary nature of Ceres Biotics’ business - geographically, from a product perspective, and technologically - makes this a highly strategic acquisition for SAS. This is another significant step forward in our ambition to create one of the global leading players in the biosolutions sector.”

Deloitte (due diligence) and Cuatrecasas advised SAS and Stirling Square. Ceres Biotics was advised by KPMG (corporate finance).

About Stirling Square Capital Partners

Stirling Square Capital Partners was founded in 2002 as a pan-European private equity firm specialised in internationalising and digitalising mid-market businesses with an enterprise value between EUR 100m and EUR 500m. The firm manages EUR 3.5bn on behalf of a global and diverse investor base. Since inception, Stirling Square has invested in 30+ platform companies and 100+ add-on acquisitions globally, helping to create regional and global champions. For more information, visit www.stirlingsquare.com.

About SAS Group

SAS is a group of companies whose objective is to lead the international market of biosolutions and plant nutrition products for the agricultural sector. Headquartered in Lleida (Spain), SAS is a global company present in more than 100 countries and with subsidiaries in different markets of interest. Its NOBA technology platform is a reference in the research of new solutions for agriculture. SAS Group is fully committed to sustainability, placing it at the heart of its business model. Visit https://www.sas-agri.com

About Ceres Biotics

Founded in 2010, Ceres Biotics is a Spanish company focused on sustainable solutions for agriculture, particularly in the segment of microbial biofertilizers and biostimulants. Ceres has built a reputation for quality, innovation, and customer service, serving clients in over 20 countries, including some of the world’s largest crop protection, fertilizers, and biostimulants companies

https://ceresbiotics.com/