DGS Group B.V. and the shareholders of Canter Vleeswaren B.V. reached agreement on 19 September regarding the acquisition of Canter Vleeswaren B.V. The transaction will be completed in the next few weeks, once the financing for the acquisition has been finalised. The acquisition will result in an even stronger organisation, one which will see the founders of DGS Group partner with the owner of Canter Vleeswaren B.V. “This merger between our two companies gives us access to an even wider collection of authentic, artisanal family recipes for original Dutch meat products and offers an even more comprehensive product range to our professional customers, together with the expert team at Canter Vleeswaren B.V.”, said Nick Visser and Wilbert Wolfs of DGS Group. “As part of the acquisition, we will also acquire our own chain of butcher shops, whose direct interaction with consumers will also prove to be a boon for DGS Group.” Through a series of targeted measures – including an expansion of both its existing product range and its customer base – Canter Vleeswaren B.V. has managed to achieve strong growth in recent years. “Our company is very pleased to be joining a large organisation such as the professional DGS Group (winner of the Indistributietrofee professional award in both 2013 and 2014) and we look forward to achieving our other goals as a company together with DGS Group”, said Ralph de Vries, CEO and owner of Canter Vleeswaren B.V. “Canter Vleeswaren B.V. has defined its formal mission as ‘providing only the highest-quality and most flavourful premium beef, veal and lamb products for consumers to enjoy’, which is right in line with DGS Group’s corporate mission and values. “We couldn’t be more pleased with this partnership and will continue to position ourselves in the new organisation within our area of expertise.” Ralph de Vries will be joining DGS Group’s Executive Board as a company co-owner,  alongside Nick Visser and Wilbert Wolfs. The full management team (whose members are also DGS Group’s shareholders, along with Nordian Capital Partners) will also include Joost Wolfs, Koen Smits and Leander Ruis. “This acquisition will complete both our team and the group and will allow us to develop even stronger concepts and products in our high-quality fresh product ranges”, Mr Vissers, Mr Wolfs and Mr De Vries stated. DGS Group DGS Group is a high-quality Dutch provider of artisanal meat products, meatballs and fresh smoked sausages. The company currently operates four specialised production facilities, which use highly traditional manufacturing methods to create our high-quality meat products for the retail, out-of-home and catering markets (including airline catering). Canter Vleeswaren B.V. A family business established in 1930, Canter Vleeswaren B.V. specialises in the production of premium beef, veal and lamb products, as well as having achieved national acclaim with its authentic Amsterdam-style Amsterdammertje beef sausage. In addition to Canter Vleeswaren B.V., the Amsterdam-based company also operates a chain of five premium ‘culinary’ butcher shops under the name Hergo, de slager met een koksmuts (‘Hergo, the butcher with the chef’s hat’). Canter Vleeswaren B.V. and Hergo uniquely and successfully combine production and retail activities, with the butcher shops serving both as the link between the production facility and consumers and as prototype stores.