The investment, announced earlier this week, comes on the back of the deal the French group struck last month to buy Swiss specialty feed ingredients firm, Pancosma.
Total Alimentos has annual sales of around $220 million. "It is in good financial shape," Matthieu Leroy, head of projects, communications and institutional relations at InVivo told us.
But he would not be drawn on the purchase price of the family run nutrition business.
He said the acquisition will allow InVivo "to strengthen its innovation capabilities [in Latin America] thanks to the Total Alimentos R&D center."
The French firm wants to “quickly consolidate” its position in the profitable and dynamic pet food sector in markets such as Latin America and Asia, with Total Alimentos the third leading pet food player in Brazil by volume, and also strong in that segment in Uruguay and Colombia.
But InVivo is also aiming to leverage both the positive demographic trend and the fast growth of the middle class in Latin America through continued expansion in the animal proteins sector with Total Alimentos a significant player on the dairy cattle feed side. "There is increasing demand for dairy products in the region," said Leroy.
Further acquisitions
InVivo said it is evaluating six other possible acquisitions, including one in Indonesia, further deals in South America and also targets back in France.
To help finance its expansion plans, the company is talking to potential investors regarding a capital increase, said Leroy.
Mexican presence
InVivo already benefits from a key position in Mexico, where it dominates the livestock and equine feed market. It is also ranked third in terms of shrimp feed and pet food sector players in that country.
It has been building its Mexican presence in the past few years. In July last year it acquired a key premix player, Vipresa.
That feed additive manufacturer is based in Jalisco state, the region with the biggest concentration of egg production in Mexico, with the asset giving InVivo greater access to the layer segment of the Mexican poultry market.
In July this year, the French group outlined its strategy for growth in Central America.
Executive vice-president of InVivo Mexico, Eric Nojac, told feednavigator then: “We intend to expand both organically and externally in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, and, in line with our preventative approach to animal health, we are trying to identify potential premix or vaccine producer acquisition targets in the region."