Cotecnica and Gimborn use Italy deals to deepen EU reach
Bottom line
Cotecnica is expanding deeper into Italy through the acquisition of Life Pet Care, an Italian super-premium pet food company founded in 2009, while Germany’s H. von Gimborn has taken a majority stake in Italian plant-based cat litter specialist Cerberus. GlobalPETS reported both deals as part of a broader pickup in cross-border pet care M&A in Europe. Publicly available company information shows Cotecnica posted more than €169 million in 2025 turnover, underscoring that the Spanish group is using acquisitions alongside organic brand growth to widen its footprint. Cerberus, meanwhile, brings Gimborn a production site near Varese and in-house know-how in plant-based litter, an area Gimborn says it had previously sourced externally. (cotecnica.es)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, these deals are another sign that premiumization and sustainability claims are shaping the pet care supply chain well beyond the clinic. Cotecnica’s move into Italy could strengthen distribution of super-premium nutrition in a market where natural and high-specification diets continue to gain traction, while Gimborn’s Cerberus deal reflects growing investment in plant-based litter as manufacturers respond to demand for more sustainable home-care products from pet parents. For practices, that can translate into a broader mix of nutrition and hygiene products showing up in retail, e-commerce, and potentially veterinary-adjacent channels. (it.linkedin.com)
What to watch: Watch for brand portfolio changes, wider Italian and European distribution, and whether either company uses these acquisitions to push more premium nutrition or sustainability-led products into new channels. (cotecnica.es)
Two European pet care groups are using Italy as a platform for expansion. Spanish pet food company Cotecnica has acquired Life Pet Care, an Italian super-premium pet food manufacturer, and German group H. von Gimborn has acquired a majority stake in Cerberus, an Italian specialist in plant-based cat litter. Together, the deals highlight how cross-border M&A is being used to add manufacturing capacity, local market access, and higher-growth product categories across Europe’s pet sector. (it.linkedin.com)
The backdrop is a European pet market still favoring selective dealmaking over blockbuster consolidation. GlobalPETS reported earlier this year that M&A activity in 2026 was expected to remain cautious but active, with companies pursuing targeted assets that add capabilities or geographic reach. Italy has been a recurring focus in that strategy, with international players using acquisitions to secure stronger positions in pet food, retail, and adjacent categories. (globalpetindustry.com)
Cotecnica’s acquisition appears to fit that pattern. The Spanish company, known for brands including Ownat, said on its news page that it exceeded €169 million in turnover in 2025. Life Pet Care describes itself as a natural and super-premium pet food specialist founded in 2009, with a catalog of more than 200 products and a base in Tuscany. While deal terms were not publicly available in the sources reviewed, the strategic logic is fairly clear: Cotecnica gains a more direct foothold in Italy and adds an established premium positioning in one of Europe’s important pet food markets. That’s an inference based on the companies’ stated profiles and the nature of the transaction. (cotecnica.es)
The Gimborn-Cerberus deal is more detailed in public reporting. Gimborn said the acquisition will integrate Cerberus’s production facility near Varese into its international manufacturing network and expand the Biokat’s portfolio with plant-based litter. Gimborn’s leadership framed the move as a response to steadily growing demand for plant-based alternatives in Europe and said the company had previously depended on outside suppliers for that segment. The company also said the partnership followed a three-year strategic review and would support both branded and private-label litter offerings across Europe. (petandgardenpro.be)
Industry commentary around the Gimborn transaction points to category demand, not just scale, as the main driver. Gimborn CEO Jordi Queralt described the Cerberus partnership as the first of its kind in the company’s 171-year history, while CFO Werner Averkamp said plant-based litter represents an attractive growth segment because of demand for sustainable, natural, high-performance pet care products. Cerberus CEO Raffaele Darino, in turn, tied the deal to circular-economy trends and rising sustainability expectations in the litter market. (petandgardenpro.be)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, these transactions are less about ownership changes and more about where the pet care market is heading. Cotecnica’s move reinforces the importance of premium nutrition, especially products marketed around natural ingredients, higher meat content, and category specialization. Gimborn’s investment in Cerberus shows that litter, too, is being repositioned around performance plus sustainability, which can influence what pet parents expect when discussing home management, odor control, environmental impact, and feline wellbeing. As manufacturers gain more control over production and formulation, veterinary teams may see faster product iteration, more premium claims, and broader availability across consumer channels. (it.linkedin.com)
There’s also a channel implication. Gimborn’s catalog explicitly lists the veterinary channel among its routes to market, and the Cerberus acquisition expands what it can offer in a category adjacent to clinical conversations about feline household management. Cotecnica’s growth, supported by the Ownat brand, could similarly strengthen premium diet competition in markets where veterinary teams already field frequent questions from pet parents about natural, limited-ingredient, or super-premium foods. These shifts don’t automatically change clinical recommendations, but they do shape the commercial environment around them. (gimborn.eu)
What to watch: The next signals will be operational: whether Cotecnica keeps Life Pet Care as a distinct premium platform or folds it into a broader Italy strategy, whether Gimborn launches new plant-based Biokat’s products made in Varese, and whether either company expands private-label or veterinary-adjacent distribution over the next 12 months. (petandgardenpro.be)