Grupo Miguel Vergara has acquired the Valles del Esla beef business in Spain from the El Enebro group.

Family-owned beef business Miguel Vergara said the deal, struck for an undisclosed sum, enhances the company’s “leadership” in the Spanish beef sector, providing 1,600 pasture-raised cattle.

Miguel Vergara, the group’s president and owner, said in a statement that the transaction “not only reinforces our capacity and leadership in the high-quality beef segment but also strengthens our responsibility for sustainable production, quality, environmental sensitivity, biodiversity and sustainable rural development”.

According to Madrid-headquartered El Enebro’s website, the Valles del Esla brand is produced at the Neal meat-processing complex located in the mountains of León. The site was set up in 1996 by the Álvarez family.

El Enebro, the holding company of the same family, will now focus on its winery and wine supply business, along with agricultural real estate, Grupo Miguel Vergara said in the statement.

Various wine brands are produced by El Enebro under the Vega Sicilia business operation, which was acquired by the family in 1982. Real estate is conducted through Finca El Quexigal.

Just Food has contacted El Enebro for comment on the transaction with Grupo Miguel Vergara and to ask for more details on what is included in the deal in terms of operations and employees.

Marta Guirao, the general manager of El Enebro, had not returned a call or email from this publication at the time of writing.

Guirao told the Lavanguardia publication in Spain that Valles del Esla “has managed to establish itself in the market as a brand of excellence thanks to its commitment to high quality and the strong commitment of its customers and suppliers”.

She added the group “has made a great effort to maintain the family's commitment to the mountains of León until the last moment, seeking alternatives that would allow continuity to the different divisions of the meat project”.

Grupo Miguel Vergara is a farm-to-fork business supplying the brands Vergara Blonde, Vergara Angus and Vergara Beef. It claims to have the largest livestock herd in Spain with animal welfare and quality core principles.