One Earth acquires Beretta in $10-million-plus deal

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

In a cash and share deal worth “more than $10 million,” One Earth Farms Corporation has acquired Toronto-based Beretta Farms Inc.

Beretta co-founder, Mike Beretta, says the deal will see the continuation and expansion of  Beretta brands. Beretta products are now available in Ontario and Vancouver but the plan is to extend the brand.

“The hope is,” Beretta says, “we’ll make it a cross-country brand with the help of One Earth.”

As part of the deal, Mike Beretta joins the executive committee of One Earth Farms as chief operating officer. His wife, Cynthia, co-founder of Beretta, will continue to run and expand the company’s From The Kitchen catering business which now operates only in Ontario.

Over its 20-year history, Beretta  has become a market-leading brand for fresh beef, poultry, deli products and meal solutions. Beretta products are available to consumers through national grocery chains, natural and organic retailers, direct home delivery and specialty catering providing meals to professional athletes and corporate clients.

Mike Beretta says the deal to join One Earth came about after Beretta started procuring cattle from One Earth that met Beretta’s protocols.

Beretta has operations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The 800-acre Beretta family farm is outside King City.

One Earth is a “Canadian-based agri-food  and consumer products business,” operating a series of cattle and grain/oilseed farms across the prairie provinces. Their products are sold under the brand names Last Rep, Protein Puck and now Beretta. BF