The Ebro Foods group, which includes such well-known brands in the world of rice in Spain as SOS, Brillante or La Cigala, as well as others from different food sectors such as Azucarera or Puleva, has decided to buy the 30% it was missing from the renowned Italian pasta brand Bertagni. This is the oldest stuffed pasta firm in all of Italy, it is of Bolognese origin and is the one that produces fresh pasta for Mercadona specifically. It specializes in the famous ravioli, but also makes tortellini or the gnocchi that Mercadona sells under its white label Hacendado.
The Madrid-based company already had 70% of the shares of the Italian brand, which it acquired in 2018 for 130 million euros, so it was already in Bertagni’s share capital. Through a binding agreement, the remaining percentage is now acquired, so that the tortellini brand passes to the Ebro Foods brand conglomerate.
The share package belonged to Antonio Marchetti and Enrico Bolla, but they have now reached a purchase agreement for an additional 112.5 million euros. This was announced by Luis Peña, secretary of the Board of Directors of Ebro Foods, in a notification sent to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). The two former owners will continue to participate in the management of Bertagni “to guarantee a successful transition,” Peña points out in his writing.
Since Ebro Foods acquired the majority of Bertagni, the brand “has experienced significant growth and has strengthened its position in the premium fresh pasta segment, increasing its gross sales from 70 million in 2017 to 182 million in 2024,” the statement added. With this operation, in a strategic niche for the company, the group becomes the second largest manufacturer of fresh pasta worldwide. In the dry pasta business, the Spanish company also has brands such as Garofalo, Panzani and Russo di Cicciano.
Profits grow thanks to Hacendado
The Madrid-based company obtained a net profit of 154.3 million euros at the end of the third quarter of 2025. In the first nine months of the year it recorded an EBITDA (profits before taxes) of 311.5 million, 1.1% more than in the previous quarter, which represents a historical record, as detailed by the company itself.
This boost in sales is explained, in part, by the increase in fresh pasta sold in Mercadona through Hacendado. The product has gone viral on social networks and has gained notable popularity both for its quality and its price, slightly above two euros, considered especially affordable.