Tipiak will be bought by Terrena, a French agri-food giant

If Tipiak advertisements have marked several generations, the group is now preparing to experience a revival. The agri-food cooperative Terrena is in the process of buying back the shares of the majority shareholders of the Loire brand. Currently, 77.95% of the capital is held by three players, namely Maison Groult, the Billard management company and Hubert Grouès, the CEO of Tipiak. The two founding families, Groult and Billard, alone own 70% of the capital.

From now on, the almost 78% share should go to Terrena, one of the most important agri-food groups in France, according to information from Ouest-France. The latter will submit a simplified public purchase offer during the first half of 2024. For the general director, Alain Le Floch, “the proposed acquisition of a very good company in the West illustrates the solidity of Terrena, as well as its ability to strengthen itself through strategic developments”.

For their part, the historic family shareholders explain “having chosen to transfer control of the capital to a leading agricultural and food cooperative group, sharing the same values ​​and corporate culture”. Tipiak has been looking for a buyer for several weeks. As early as September, the CGT had heard of discussions and a potential new shareholder, without knowing their identity. The union organization then launched an online fundraiser to buy the company, fearing for the “future” of the employees. With 205 euros raised, it is entitled “pirates boarding capitalism”, in reference to the famous Tipiak advertisements.

The purchase of Tipiak's shares should allow Terrena to increase its turnover, established at 5.4 billion euros. Tipiak's 1,300 employees would thus join the cooperative's 12,366 employees and the 20,117 member farms. It remains to be seen whether the identity of the Tipiak brand remains the same or whether a facelift will be decided by the new majority shareholder.