Big German seafood producer taken over by apetito group.

Costa Meeresspezialitaten GmbH & Co. KG, Emden, a leading German manufacturer of frozen fish and seafood for the retail market, became part of the Rheine-based apetito group effective Nov. 1.

For apetito, it means a bigger stake in seafood retailing. For Dr. Oetker, which has owned Costa since 1990, it means another step towards concentration on the group's strategic core markets for shelf stable goods, frozen pizza and chilled dairy products. Costa employs 80 people at two locations (Emden and Bielefeld) and manufacturers a range of about 80 products sold under the Costa brand name.

"With acquisition of the Costa premium brand, we have made an important step towards fostering our branded business, and expect high growth potential in the fish meals and fish preparations segments," said Andres Ruff, ceo of apetito AG.

In order to guarantee a smooth transition, the parties agreed to develop the Costa business together for a while. "For bringing together apetito and Costa and for developing the branded business, the know-how of the Costa employees is crucial," Ruff said.