The company produces pastry mixes, fillings, flavourings and toppings, and Solway (pictured) said: “Unifine has increased from strength to strength in the past 10 years by doing all the right things where it matters to our customers.
“This has created a highly saleable business and the acquisition by Dawn Foods makes perfect sense if we want to have a greater presence in the European marketplace.”
The value of the planned deal with Dawn Foods (which subject to regulatory approval could pass within three months) has not been disclosed, but last week ceo Carrie Jones-Barber said Unifine was a good fit as a strategic product platform aligned with Dawn Foods’ “geographic market priorities”.
Unifine’s Dutch owners Royal Cosun put the business – which includes Unifine’s seven manufacturing sites – up for sale last November.
Robert Smith, president and ceo of Royal Cosun, said: “We decided to divest our fine bakery operations as these do not fit in our core strategic focus which is on the processing of arable crops.
“Based on the strong growth over the past 10 years and attractive growth prospects, Cosun is confident that Unifine is now ready to take the next step in its evolution as a part of a strategic world player.”