Cornish pasty food manufacturer bought by French dessert company
Proper Cornish, which operates from a newly refurbished 58,000 sq ft bakery in Bodmin, Cornwall, has been supplying Cornish pasties and other savoury pastries to a wide range of markets since 1988 either under the Proper Cornish brand or as own label.
The deal will see the senior management team remain in place to continue the business growth. Proper Cornish will have access to a range of sweet French Patisserie products and Macaroons to sell throughout the UK markets, and there will be opportunities across Europe for the sale for its' pasties and savoury pastries.
Uk focus
Proper Cornish has a customer base that consists of a major retailer, independent retailers, specialist pasty shops, education sector, sporting stadia, major contract caterers and wholesalers.
Groupe Boncolac has been supplying desserts and cocktail bites since the 1950’s from four factories in France. Its products are sold in France and in over 30 countries to all channels, including retail, freezer centres, and foodservice.
The UK has always been a strong focus for the development of the business and it already established Boncolac Ltd in the region in 2015 which serves both retailers and foodservice distributors.
Partner
Chris Pauling, managing director of Proper Cornish said: “As a founding member of Proper Cornish, I was extremely keen to ensure we found the right partner to take the Company to the next level, and I’m confident that Groupe Boncolac is that partner; their brand and people ethics, and their product quality reflect those of Proper Cornish, so I’m really excited for the future of Proper Cornish”.
Alexandre Vigneron, Leo of Groupe Boncolac, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Proper Cornish Ltd within the Groupe Boncolac. I have been impressed by the quality of the Proper Cornish management team, as well as the great product positioning with respect to the traditional manufacturing techniques. We are looking forward to starting a fruitful collaboration between our companies in the UK and abroad”.
In 2022, Boncolac management conducted, together with Waterland Private Equity, a leverage buy-out to become a fully independent group. In September 2022, they made their first acquisition of Mag’M, a French specialist of premium Macaroons based in Nantes.
