With the acquisition of 70% of the Spanish Quality Corn Group, the Italian group Cereal Docks takes a new strategic step in the growth and internationalization process outlined in the 2025–2028 Business Plan. The transaction is expected to close by the end of January and consolidates the Group's presence in the corn-based ingredients segment, with a particular focus on food and gluten-free products.
The transaction allows Cereal Docks to strengthen its integrated industrial and commercial platform dedicated to one of the strategic grains for current consumption trends, leveraging a supply chain that extends from seed to ingredient. The addition of Quality Corn Group expands the Group's production presence in Europe, adding industrial operations in Spain and Southwest France to its Italian operations.
The central element of the operation is the integration with Mill Favero, specializing in corn flours and gluten-free ingredients, which will enable the development of industrial and commercial synergies along the entire value chain: from agricultural sourcing to product innovation, all the way to higher value-added ingredient solutions for the food industry.
Quality Corn Group, with its operational headquarters in Ariéstolas, Aragon, and a second plant in France, generates approximately €90 million in revenue and employs 80 people. The group operates along a fully integrated supply chain that guarantees traceability, raw material quality, and supply continuity—an increasingly crucial factor for major international food operators.
The product portfolio includes precooked, raw, and nixtamalized corn flours for baking, snacks, and beer, as well as popcorn—a segment in which Quality Corn is a leading European supplier—as well as roasted corn and specific varieties for tortillas, nachos, and Tex-Mex products. This broad offering strengthens Cereal Docks' position as an industrial partner for highly technical food applications.
"The addition of Quality Corn Group represents a further strategic step in our growth journey," emphasizes Mauro Fanin, President of Cereal Docks. "The transaction is consistent with our industrial vision, which is focused on developing integrated, high-value agricultural supply chains, strengthening our role alongside the international food industry."
Agustí Mariné, founder and CEO of Quality Corn Group, agrees, emphasizing how the alliance with Cereal Docks will expand the ingredients catalog and strengthen the group's agricultural roots, involving over 800 professional farmers in an increasingly structured and responsible supply chain.
From a financial and legal point of view, the operation saw EY-Parthenon ed EY Lawyers alongside Quality Corn Group, while Cereal Docks has availed itself of the support of KPMG, SAT Studio Legale, and TZ&A Studio Associato. This transaction confirms Cereal Docks' role as a European industrial aggregator in the cereal-based ingredients segment.
