Ecom Agroindustrial Corp. Ltd acquires Armajaro Trading

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Ecom Agroindustrial Corp Ltd. (Ecom) have completed the acquisition of Armajaro Trading Ltd (Armajaro) in a transaction which brings together two highly regarded companies focused on the global commodities of cocoa, coffee and sugar.
  
Back in 2012, Ecom turned heads when it bought 13 million 60-kg bags of coffee, equating to nearly 10 per cent of global production in the year 2011-12.  Even more impressive, the Swiss commodities trader bought 7 per cent of the world’s cocoa – assuring its place as one of the world’s top 10 cocoa dealers, with a global grinding capacity of about 260,000 tonnes.
 
For family-owned Ecom, the acquisition of Armajaro provides a vast global logistics and storage network, and increases its presence in capital-intensive and high-risk cocoa and coffee trading.
 
Under the deal, Alain Poncelet, Ecom’s deputy chief executive of coffee and cocoa, would take the additional role of chief executive of Armajaro Trading.  Mark Dendle, Ecom’s chief financial officer, will also serve as CFO for Armajaro’s trading unit. 
 
The top management at Armajaro Trading, which includes chief executive and co-founder Richard Gower, will stay on in an advisory role for a time.  The agreement marks the end of a 15-year foray into physical trading by Armajaro co-founders and majority owners Richard Gower and Anthony Ward, who built the company into one of the world’s biggest cocoa trading houses.

A Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) team of commodities, corporate and competition lawyers, led by Partner Alistair Mackie, advised long-term client Ecom on its acquisition of Armajaro.  The HFW team comprises Partners Alistair Mackie, Brian Perrott, Richard Merrylees, Anthony Woolich, Robert Finney; Senior Associates Matthew Gore and Peter Emery; and Associates Joseph Botham, Tais Jost, Aysha El-Kaddah and Carolyn Ang.
 
With over 450 lawyers operating in 14 offices across 11 countries, HFW provide a global and seamless service 24 hours a day.  They are a dynamic, entrepreneurial and leaders in their specialist areas.  Many of their partners are recognised as leading experts in their field.