Anna Hartz
Bialetti Sold to NUO Capital in €53 Million Deal
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Coffee is more than just a drink in Italy. It’s part of the culture. For decades, Bialetti has been a name closely tied to this daily ritual.
Their iconic stovetop espresso maker became a symbol of Italian design and flavor. But in recent years, things haven’t gone smoothly for the company.
Now, Bialetti is preparing for a major shift. NUO Capital, a fund backed by one of Hong Kong’s wealthiest families, is buying a large stake in the Italian coffee brand, reports Ziare.
The fund will take over 78.57% of Bialetti. The deal is valued at around 53 million euros.
If everything goes as planned, the acquisition will be finalized by June 2025.
Once that happens, NUO plans to buy out the remaining shares. They will offer at least 0.467 euros per share to existing shareholders.
The end goal is to remove Bialetti from the Milan Stock Exchange. This is part of a bigger plan to restructure and relaunch the business.
Bialetti has faced serious financial challenges. The company lost 1.1 million euros in 2024 and still carries debts of 82 million euros.
One of the problems was its push into shopping malls. That move didn’t go as expected.
At the same time, capsule-based coffee machines became more popular, cutting into Bialetti’s market.
The company also has a factory in Plopeni, Romania. In 2023, the Romanian branch made 24.6 million euros.
It had 251 employees and a modest profit of just over 800,000 lei.
NUO Capital is backed by the Pao Cheng family. This family has a long history in global shipping and real estate.
Their founder, Sir Yue-Kong Pao, once ran the world’s largest shipping company.
Today, his descendants continue the legacy through World-Wide Investment Company Limited, a firm with over 60 years of experience.
NUO is focused on investing in medium-sized European businesses.
Their aim is to help those companies grow and expand into Asian markets. Now, Bialetti is the latest brand to join that vision.