TLT has worked with the management of its long-standing client Bart Ingredients on the sale of the Bristol-based spice giant to Germany's largest spice producer, Fuchs Group.

The acquisition provides an exit for the private equity firm Langholm Capital, which backed a management buy-out of Bart Ingredients in 2010.

Bristol-based Bart Ingredients was founded in 1963 and has grown to become the second largest branded herbs and spices company in the United Kingdom. The company sources ingredients from across the world and boasts a range of almost 100 products, including an expanded range of dry and wet ingredients that are sold directly and in supermarkets. 

Under Langholm ownership, the management team has transformed the business significantly in recent years with an award-winning brand position, bespoke customer relationships and enhanced and leading processes. The business has also expanded into wet ingredients following Bart's acquisition of OTP Foods in 2014, which TLT also advised on.

The TLT team was led by corporate partner Andrew Webber and comprised of corporate, commercial, tax, employment and retail specialists, including: legal directors Mark Braude and Andrew Harper; associates James Webb, Lizzie Stone, Emma Davies and Kate Williams; and corporate solicitor Holly Evans.

David Collard, CEO of Bart Ingredients, says: "We are incredibly proud of the growth we have achieved with Langholm and it made sense to join forces with an international market leader like Fuchs, who can help expand our market coverage and take our business to the next level.

"Our business has changed significantly over the last 50 years and TLT understands the importance of this next chapter in our company's history, having supported us throughout the development of the business for many years now. Their specialist retail expertise and hard-working team made sure that the transaction ran smoothly and that the management team was fully supported throughout."

Andrew Webber, corporate partner at TLT, says: "Bart Ingredients is a local and national success story in its market and it is important for all companies – particularly food manufacturers and consumer brands – to have the investment they need to develop their business in an evolving market. It has always been a pleasure to work with David and his team and we are delighted to be supporting them on this next stage in the company's development."