Dive Brief:
- Italian coffee maker Lavazza now has the opportunity to consider buying Carte Noire, which has been offered exclusively to the company by seller Mondelez International as part of a plan to appease regulators slowing down Mondelez's proposed merger with D.E. Master Blenders 1753.
- Lavazza said that it is the sole recipient of this offer due to contractual agreements, Reuters reported.
- Lavazza had at first considered purchasing two smaller companies originally offered up by Mondelez to proceed with the merger, but now that Mondelez has offered Carte Noire, Lavazza has reportedly shifted its focus to the new offer instead.
Dive Insight:
According to Reuters, sources say that Lavazza was already raising money for the acquisition of Mondelez's L'Or and Grand Mere and had offered more than $680 million for them. Now this new proposal may have enticed the Italian company, so the capital raised may be transferred to the new offer in its place.