Rosa Tuominen

Valio – Acquisition of the Härkis® and Beanit® fava bean brands

We advised Valio Oy in its acquisition of Raisio Oyj’s plant protein business, related fixed assets and the Härkis® and Beanit® fava bean brands. The fixed assets include, among other things, the production equipment of the factory that makes plant protein products in Kauhava. The transaction supports Valio’s strategy to grow from a dairy company to a food company. This business acquisition will make us an even more significant developer and producer of plant-based protein products. The demand for these products will grow in the long term, and a great deal of growth potential still remains. In 2022, we acquired the Gold&Green® business and, since then, we have been carrying out strong product development and renewed the brand. Following successful product launches, sales in the last quarter of 2024 increased by about 50% from the previous quarter. With this acquisition, we are building our own production capacity. The production equipment of the Kauhava factory is just right for our needs and situation. says Kimmo Luoma, Valio’s Senior Vice President. Valio is a Finnish dairy and food company founded in 1905 and owned by Finnish dairy cooperatives. Valio has subsidiaries in Sweden, Estonia, the United States and China. In 2023, the Group had a turnover of EUR 2 278 million and more than 4 000 employees.

14.2.2025

Helkama-Autokauppa – Acquisition of Škoda Dealerships in Helsinki and Tampere

We advised Helkama-Autokauppa Oy in the acquisition of the Škoda dealerships in Helsinki and Tampere from Hedin Automotive Finland. Helkama-Autokauppa Oy operates as an independent dealer in the dealer network of Helkama-Auto Oy, the Finnish importer of Škoda cars, spare parts and accessories.

3.12.2024

Pernod Ricard – Sale of local Nordic beverage brands to Hartwall

We acted as Finnish counsel to Pernod Ricard in the sale of a portfolio of local Nordic brands to Oy Hartwall Ab, an affiliate of the Danish group Royal Unibrew. Pernod Ricard is a worldwide leader in the spirits and wine industry. The local portfolio of brands includes spirits, liqueurs and Finnish wine brands, the best-known being the liqueur Minttu, along with their related production assets based in Turku, Finland.

21.10.2024

Zendesk – Acquisition of Ultimate Enterprises

We acted as Zendesk, Inc.’s Finnish legal counsel in its acquisition of Ultimate Enterprises Oy, an industry leading provider of service automation using AI technology. The cross-border acquisition was completed in cooperation with the transaction’s lead counsel Allen & Overy. Zendesk is a leading global technology company that provides software-as-a-service and customer experience (CX) products based in the US. The acquisition of Ultimate expands Zendesk’s AI-powered CX offerings.

26.3.2024

Solina group – Acquisition of premium culinary brands OSCAR and Puljonki

We acted as Solina group’s Finnish legal counsel in its acquisition of Nestlé Professional Food A/S and Puljonki Oy, which own the premium culinary brands OSCAR and Puljonki, from the Nestlé group. The transaction is expected to be finalised prior to Q2 of 2024. Solina is a leading company within the food ingredient solutions industry and is active in 19 countries across Europe and North America.

23.2.2024

Speechly – Sale of Speechly to Roblox

We advised the sellers on the sale of Speechly, a Helsinki-based AI voice technology startup, to Roblox Corporation. Speechly, founded in 2016, provides accurate real-time automatic speech recognition and natural language understanding tools and APIs. In 2021, the Finnish news media Talouselämä selected the company as one of the ten most promising Finnish startups. Speechly was admitted to Y Combinator in 2022 and its investors include Cherry Ventures, SNÖ Ventures, TQ Ventures, Seedcamp, Quantum Angels, Joyance Partners, Social Starts and Tiny.vc.

21.9.2023

Lantmännen Agro – Acquisitions of JS Perttula Oy and Ismo Lindell Oy

We advised Lantmännen Agro Oy in its acquisitions of the entire share capitals of JS Perttula Oy and Ismo Lindell Oy. JS-Perttula Oy operates the Lantmännen Agro stores in Riihimäki, Hämeenlinna and Nurmijärvi. Ismo Lindell Oy operates the stores in Kouvola and Lappeenranta. Lantmännen Agro Oy is a Finnish agricultural company and part of the Lantmännen ek för corporation. Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and a leading player in the agricultural, machinery, bioenergy and food sectors in the Nordic countries.

4.8.2022

Korg USA – Acquisition of Darkglass Electronics

We acted as Finnish counsel to Korg USA in the acquisition of a controlling stake in the Finnish bass gear company Darkglass Electronics from the original founder Douglas Castro and other minority shareholders. Darkglass Electronics was founded in 2009 and it specialises in producing bass effect pedals, preamps, amplifies and cabinets. Korg USA was established in 1963 and its primary business is manufacturing and sale of electronic musical instruments. ‘This acquisition is aligned with our strategy to position Korg USA as a leader in the bass gear category’, says Joe Castronovo, President of Korg USA.

13.6.2022

Rudus – Acquisition of stone aggregates business

We advised Rudus Oy in the acquisition of TerraWise Oy’s stone aggregates business. Rudus Oy is the leading specialist in the market of stone-based building materials and solutions operating in Finland’s building product industry. This business acquisition supplements the stone aggregates business of Rudus while strengthening and expanding its offering, particularly in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Since 1999, Rudus has been a part of the Irish CRH Group, a global operator in the building materials industry. CRH operates in 28 countries and has 71,000 employees in approximately 3,155 locations. CRH is the largest building materials company in North America and the second largest in the world.

13.6.2022

Blackstone Growth – RELEX Solutions’ EUR 500 Million Funding Round

Castrén & Snellman, together with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Taylor Wessing, advised Blackstone Growth (BXG), Blackstone’s growth equity investing business, on the EUR 500 million funding round of Retail Logistics Excellence – RELEX Oy, a Finland-based provider of unified retail planning solutions. The funding round, led by funds managed by Blackstone Growth (BXG), values Relex Solutions at EUR 5 billion and is the largest funding round raised by a Finnish growth company to date. The funding raised allows the company to continue its growth path by hiring hundreds of developers and experts to grow its technical team that already stands at over 400 people strong. RELEX Solutions is a software company that automates and optimizes supply chain, merchandising, and operational decisions for retailers and consumer packaged goods companies. With the rise of both regulations and corporate initiatives to reduce waste and drive social, economic, and environmental benefits, RELEX Solutions is a key partner for companies to reach their sustainability goals without sacrificing customer experience. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, the company employs over 1,300 people globally. Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative investment firm with assets under management of USD 881 billion.

17.2.2022

HOK-Elanto – Sale of Kodin Terra Tuusula

We are assisting HOK-Elanto in the sale of the business operations of Kodin Terra Tuusula to Stark Suomi Oy. In connection with the sale, Stark and HOK-Elanto also entered into a local bonuspartner agreement. The personnel working at Kodin Terra Tuusula will transfer to Stark at the closing of the deal. ‘HOK-Elanto has been looking at alternatives for developing hardware store services in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area for a long time. The sale of Kodin Terra Tuusula and local bonuspartner agreement will enable us to provide our customer-owners an even more extensive offering for construction in our entire operating area. Moving forward in line with its strategy, HOK-Elanto will focus primarily on the development of food and drink services both in brick-and-mortar locations and online in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Everyone at Kodin Terra Tuusula has done great work, and I would like to thank them for their efforts’, says HOK-Elanto’s CEO Veli-Matti Liimatainen. HOK-Elanto is one of the largest regional cooperatives in the S Group. HOK-Elanto operates approximately 340 locations and employs approximately 6,000 people. Stark Suomi Oy is Finland’s leading building materials supplier chain for professionals and has long-term expertise of the construction sector in Finland. Stark Suomi Oy is part of the Danish Stark Group, which dates back to 1868. Stark Suomi Oy employs approximately 1,000 people, and Stark Group approximately 10,000 people in Northern Europe.

3.11.2021

Lantmännen – Acquisition of Myllyn Paras

Castrén & Snellman advised Lantmännen in its contemplated acquisition of Finnish food company Myllyn Paras from Sponsor Capital and minority owners. The acquisition is a key step in broadening Lantmännen’s offering in Finland. Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products. Lantmännen is owned by 19,000 Swedish farmers and has 10,000 employees in over 20 countries. Myllyn Paras is a Hyvinkää-based company manufacturing, marketing and distributing flour, flakes, grains and pasta as well as frozen dough and bakery products. Myllyn Paras was established in 1928 and operates two factories in Hyvinkää and one in Tammela. Myllyn Paras is one of the most valued food brands in Finland. The group also exports products internationally. Myllyn Paras group employs approximately 110 employees. The completion of the acquisition is subject to obtaining merger control approval from the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority.

23.9.2021

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