European asset management firm Ambienta has taken a majority stake in plant-based manufacturer The Bridge, based in northern Italy.
An early entrant into the plant-based market, The Bridge was founded in 1994, and now produces organic plant-based drinks, yoghurts and puddings.
Ambienta Small Cap will work alongside The Bridge’s founding Negro Marcigaglia family to expand both in Italy and abroad. The family will reinvest alongside Ambienta.
Ambienta said the company was “well positioned” to grow both organically and through acquisitions in a “relatively young and fragmented market”.
Currently, around 80% of sales come from outside Italy through branded products and private-label partnerships. The Bridge manufactures its products in-house, with a “fully integrated process” spanning raw material extraction to final packaging, the company said.
The acquisition marked the second for Ambienta’s Small Cap fund in the span of several weeks. Like Ambienta, the fund focuses on environmental sustainability; it was set up in 2025 with €500m to invest in small cap European companies with revenues of up to €150m.
Ambienta partner Francesco Lodrini said: “Food production is one of the most critical areas in the transition to a more sustainable economy, and plant-based alternatives play a key role in reducing the environmental footprint of the agrifood value chain.
“This second investment for Ambienta Small Cap in just a few weeks embodies what this strategy stands for: deploying our capabilities and network to support companies also on the smaller end of our investment range to seize growth opportunities in markets driven by environmental trends.”
Ambienta was advised on the deal by Spayne Lindsay, Finerre, BCG, Advant NCTM and KPMG. The Bridge was advised by Livingstone Partners and Baker Mckenzie.
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