Mintec Merges with Urner Barry to Create Market-Leading Price Reporting Agency and Data Services Provider
On January 10, 2023, Mintec announced the acquisition of AgriBriefing, which owns brands including Urner Barry, Strategie Grains, FeedInfo, and Tropical Research Services. This merger will create the world's largest agri-food price reporting agency (PRA) and data provider, covering 650 commodities and 21,000 time series, serving more than 5,000 clients across over 50 countries.
London News — Mintec, a global leading provider of price data, analytics, and forecasting for the agri-food industry, announced on January 10, 2023, that it has completed the acquisition of AgriBriefing. AgriBriefing's brands include Urner Barry, Strategie Grains, FeedInfo, and Tropical Research Services. This transaction is another strategic move by Mintec following its acquisitions of Kairos Commodities and CommoPrices. The combined company will become the world's largest price reporting agency (PRA) and information provider focused on the agri-food sector, offering full-chain commodity prices, forecasts, cost modeling tools, and underlying market data from feed to food, serving over 5,000 clients across 50 countries.
Management Commentary
Mintec CEO Spencer Wicks said: "We are delighted to welcome Urner Barry to Mintec and to embark on this exciting journey together. Post-merger, our clients will be able to leverage stronger, more reliable price data and analytics to optimize their business strategies across the key commodities they purchase, sell, and consume. By integrating rich and unique data with market intelligence, we will provide businesses with the most comprehensive solutions and resources to address global pressures impacting costs and profitability."
AgriBriefing CEO Rory Brown noted: "This partnership is an excellent combination of commodity intelligence companies, ensuring our clients can confidently navigate cost-related price challenges and opportunities. For us, this is a natural home."
Urner Barry CEO Joe Muldowney added: "By joining forces with Mintec, our clients will benefit from the world's largest commodity price database, IOSCO-compliant proprietary prices, and features such as cost modeling, commodity and weather analytics, and extensive price forecasting. The group's strength lies in its deep understanding of the feed-to-food commodity markets and its position as the number one IOSCO-compliant price reporting agency. This is fully reflected in Urner Barry's leadership in meat, plant-based protein, seafood, and egg sectors, and the extent to which its proprietary prices serve as industry benchmarks."
Core Strengths of the Combined Group
By integrating diverse brands, the combined group will possess greater financial strength, a richer product portfolio, and a broader customer base, as reflected in the following aspects:
- Possesses the industry's largest portfolio of agri-food commodity data assets, covering 650 commodities and 21,000 time series, including global benchmark prices.
- Continues to expand its business footprint across North America, Europe, and Asia, with the United States being the largest and fastest-growing market.
- Enhances capabilities to provide market insights, price intelligence, and analytics across all stages of the supply chain, serving procurement, risk management, and financial services sectors.
Transaction Background and Shareholder Support
Mintec is a portfolio company of Five Arrows and Synova, with the latter holding a significant minority stake. This merger with AgriBriefing is the first strategic transformative acquisition by Five Arrows since its investment in Mintec.
About Mintec
Mintec helps the world's largest food and manufacturing brands implement more efficient and sustainable procurement strategies. Through its innovative SaaS platform, Mintec Analytics, it provides proprietary market prices and analytics for over 16,000 food ingredients and related materials. Its data and solutions help clients better understand prices, analyze spending, and negotiate confidently with suppliers. The company has offices in the UK, US, Denmark, and France. Website:www.mintecglobal.com
About Urner Barry
Urner Barry is a leading intelligence provider for stakeholders in poultry, eggs, meat, seafood, plant-based protein, and related food sectors, headquartered in Toms River, New Jersey, USA. For over 160 years, its team of market experts, data scientists, and economists has provided clients with independent, comprehensive market coverage. Services include price history, in-depth analysis of key market drivers, import/export trade data, and global news. Website:http://www.urnerbarry.com
About AgriBriefing
AgriBriefing is the world's most trusted source of agricultural intelligence and a leading supplier of benchmark pricing, analytics, and market data for agricultural commodities. The company provides businesses across the global supply chain with the benchmark prices, market data, and supply-demand forecasts needed to plan, manage risk, and enhance return on investment. Its proprietary data covers an estimated $5 trillion in global trade of agricultural products, food, and biofuels. The company has offices in London, Île-de-France, Toulouse, and Toms River, New Jersey. Website:http://www.agribriefing.com
About Five Arrows
Five Arrows is the alternative asset management arm of Rothschild & Co, with assets under management of €23 billion and offices in Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Luxembourg. Its corporate private equity business manages over €9 billion in assets and focuses on supporting companies with highly defensible market positions, strong management teams, high-visibility organic growth, and good unit economics, limited to the data and software, technology-driven business services, and healthcare sectors. Website:https://www.rothschildandco.com/en/merchant-banking/corporate-private-equity/
About Synova
Synova is recognized by the industry as one of Europe's most innovative growth investors, achieving market-leading returns through investments in businesses. Its fifth fund, raised in 2022, has a size of £875 million and invests across the mid-market, with a dedicated £250 million capital pool, Chrysalis, to support smaller growth companies. Synova focuses on partnering with exceptional growth companies in software and data, technology-driven services, financial services, health, and education, leveraging its deep investment and operational expertise to help partners achieve ambitious goals. Website:https://www.synova.pe/
Media Contacts
Mintec: David Bateman, +44 1628 642762
Five Arrows: Emma Rees, +44 7703 715763
