Heavy! Biledi Mocha pot was acquired by Chinese investors!

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The mocha pot is no stranger to coffee lovers, and the coffee utensils that many people have just bought is this coffee pot that can brew a cup at home comparable to Italian concentrate. Recently, the Italian national brand Bialetti (Biletti), which is famous for its mocha teapot, reported a news that it was about to sell its body to Chinese investors, which aroused public concern.

Nuo Capital, a private equity fund owned by Hong Kong's Bao Zheng Group, and the founder family of Herm è s are about to complete a wholly-owned acquisition of Moka, the parent company of Bialetti mocha teapot, Italian media newspaper Corriere della Sera reported, meaning Bialetti has become another Italian national brand won by Chinese background groups.

It is reported that the Bialetti mocha pot, which was born in 1933, has always been a must for Italian families and is popular all over the world because of its convenience in making coffee. However, with the emergence of more convenient devices such as fully automatic coffee machines and capsule coffee machines, mocha pots, which are slightly cumbersome to use, are becoming less and less popular with consumers.

As a result, the Bialetti mocha pot entered a recession, with a loss of more than 15.3 million euros in the first half of 2018 and tens of millions of euros in arrears in government taxes and employees' wages, forcing it to go into liquidation that year.

In the past two years, Bialetti Mocha Pot has taken advantage of cross-border co-marketing, and sales have gradually improved, with turnover rebounding to 1.047 euros in 2024, but the company's net debt is still as high as 91.9 million euros. Details of the acquisition have not yet been released and Bialetti declined to comment, but sources are confident that Nuo Capital will take the form of a wholly-owned acquisition.

As for the buyer's information, it is also introduced in the report. Founded in 2016, Nuo Capital is a private equity firm based in Milan. Its founder and chairman is the grandson of Hong Kong industrialist Bao Yugang, founder of Hong Kong Bao Zheng Group, founder of Global Shipping Group (Bengusen Global predecessor) and one of the world's eight largest shipping kings.

It is worth mentioning that in recent years, Nuo Capital has a certain preference for Italian national brands, especially luxury goods and handicrafts, and has acquired a number of brands wholly or partially like a crazy sweeping mode, such as Italian national chocolate brand Venchi, fashion clothing brand Slowear, and Ludovico Martelli, the parent company of Herm è s Marvis in well-known toothpaste.

Financial analysts believe that the primary operational goal of the acquisition of Bialetti mocha pot by Nuo Capital fund is to help parent company Moka pay off its maturing debt, and then use its influence in the Asia-Pacific region to expand its retail network and better build the influence of Bialetti coffee maker in the international market, especially in the Asia-Pacific market.

However, the acquisition has also sparked a lot of discussion. Some people worry whether the Bialetti mocha pot, the treasure of Italian coffee culture, will lose its original cultural charm and quality after it is acquired by Chinese investors. After all, there are differences in cultural backgrounds between the two countries, and they may have different ideas on brand positioning, product design and marketing.

However, some people are optimistic that China's strong economic strength and broad market channels may inject new vitality into Bialetti mocha teapot, help it open up a larger market and realize the brand's take-off again.

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