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In accordance with Article 13 of Law No. 104-12 on freedom of prices and competition and Article 10 of Decree No. 2-14-652 issued for its implementation, as amended and supplemented, the Competition Council makes available to the public the “operation summary” below, containing the information provided by the parties.
This information has been prepared by the notifying parties, who are solely responsible. Any inaccurate or distorted information contained therein does not in any way prejudge the Competition Council’s position on the proposed operation.
The publication of this press release does not attest to the completeness of the file provided for in Article 9 of Decree No. 2-14-652 issued for the implementation of Law No. 104-12 on freedom of prices and competition as amended and supplemented.
Names of the companies and groups involved:
- The ultimate acquirer: the company “KKR & Co. Inc.”;
- The direct acquirer: the company “Bettcher Industries, Inc.”;
- The target: the company “Navatta Group Food Processing S.r.l.”
Nature of the operation:
- Exclusive control acquisition.
Economic sectors concerned:
- Food processing equipment market.
Deadline for interested third parties to submit their observations:
- 10 days from the date of publication of this press release, i.e. October 29, 2026.
NON-CONFIDENTIAL SUMMARY OF THE OPERATION PROVIDED BY THE PARTIES
The Competition Council received notification of an economic concentration project consisting of the indirect exclusive control acquisition by the company “Bettcher Industries, Inc.” of the company “Navatta Group Food Processing S.r.l”. The company “Bettcher Industries, Inc.” is directly owned 100% by Fortifi Food Processing Solutions Inc. Fortifi Food Processing Solutions Inc. is itself indirectly majority-owned by investment funds, vehicles, and/or accounts advised and managed by various subsidiaries of “KKR & Co. Inc.”.
“Bettcher Industries, Inc.” is a US corporation headquartered in Birmingham, Ohio, United States. It is part of the “Fortifi Food Processing Solutions” group. Fortifi is a global manufacturer and supplier of food processing equipment and automation solutions. It manufactures and supplies cutting tools used in food processing operations, as well as related spare parts and consumables. The company is indirectly majority-owned by investment funds, vehicles, and/or accounts advised and managed by KKR.
“KKR & Co. Inc.” is an international investment company that offers alternative asset management services, as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. The company “KKR” oversees funds that invest in private equity, credit, and real assets, and has strategic partners managing hedge funds.
“Navatta Group Food Processing S.r.l” is an Italian limited liability company headquartered at Via Sandro Pertini 7 – 43013 – Langhirano, Italy, with VAT number and registration number in the relevant trade register being 02199220340.
It operates in the agri-food sector and designs, manufactures, and commissions processing lines, systems, and equipment for the fruit and vegetable processing industries, with a focus on tomato processing, complemented by after-sales activities (spare parts and on-site services) directly on the installed base.
Done in Rabat, October 16, 2026
