1st February 2017. Tapì, an international group specializing in the design, production and distribution of design closures for the packaging industry, after posting record figures with a 40% rise in turnover over the last three years and exponentially expanding its presence in international markets, has now grown even further through a strategic acquisition by the Wise private equity fund.

Tapì was founded almost twenty years ago near Venice, and quickly became a leader in the closures market, primarily for the spirits and wine industry. Tapì is now aiming to achieve even more ambitious targets having recently been acquired by the private equity firm Wise, under an investment plan aimed at increasing competitiveness, further expansion into international markets, and a renewed focus on research and development.

The Tapì brand currently turns over about 40 million euros, more than 85% of which is generated on international markets. It has factories in Italy, Mexico and Argentina, respectively serving Europe, the United States and Central America.

As founding members of Tapì, Alberto Baban and Nicola Mason, declared: “The company has shown a significant capacity for growth; we are confident that over the next five years Tapì Group will double its turnover. We chose a financial investor who can help the company achieve these ambitious new goals. We have always focused on human capital as well as on innovative capacity, a recipe that has helped the company become the undisputed leader in our niche market. We are proud of the results we have achieved, creating hundreds of jobs both in Italy and at our Mexican and Argentinean branches”.

Regarding the new acquisition, Stefano Ghetti, one of the partners in Wise, has this to say: “Tapì is an example of Italian excellence, a small multinational that is a global leader in its niche, with strong development potential. The company is a typical example of Italian entrepreneurial panache. Our goal now is to provide the company with the managerial and financial resources it will need for its next phase of development. It will achieve this growth by developing and completing projects which the entrepreneurs have been undertaking in recent years, in particular strengthening their European and American sales organization. The second line of development will involve a number of acquisitions, including one currently under negotiation, which will broaden the company’s geographical scope and product range”.

The head of Tapì Group will now be Roberto Casini, former partner and managing director of the Group’s American companies (in both Mexico and the United States), who says: “Having Wise as our majority shareholder strengthens Tapì Spa’s competitive position, with the injection of financial and human resources that will enable the Group to continue its global growth with even greater enthusiasm and determination”.

Corporate profiles

The Tapì Group

Tapì is an international group specializing in the design, production and distribution of high-end technological closures for the packaging world.

Tapì develops products for the spirits, wine, condiments, cosmetics and beer sectors. With over 300 employees worldwide, providing support for over 3,000 bottlers in over 60 countries, Tapì has consolidated its global presence with a series of sales offices, R&D; facilities and distributors.

The Tapì vision is clear: to become the world’s leading supplier of alternative closures for the packaging design market.

To achieve this goal, over the years the company has invested continuously in research & development, in people and in communicating its brand value and strength, with a view to growing steadily as an international group.

Before the recent acquisition by the Wise fund, the Tapì Group also included the investment fund Gradient I, which specializes in investments for growth in fast-growing, international small and medium businesses such as Tapì. Through a series of acquisitions and a major international development project, Gradient I helped Tapì grow from a local firm with an initial turnover of 12 million Euros, into an international group with sales of around 40 million and manufacturing plants on two different continents, increasing the Italian company’s value and creating jobs.

Wise SGR

Wise SGR SpA specializes in managing closed-end private equity funds that invest in small and medium-sized Italian companies. The funds which Wise manage typically concentrate on leveraged buy-outs and development capital operations for companies in leading positions in their niche markets. Their two main objectives are to increase critical mass, through build-up operations, to enhance the enterprise’s competitiveness and profitability and to encourage international development, by means of its international network. Wise currently has three funds under management: Wisequity II, with a commitment of € 170 million, currently in its divestment phase; Wisequity III, with a commitment of over € 180 million and six portfolio investments: Alpitour, Biolchim, Colcom Group, Primat, NTC and Controls; and lastly, Wisequity IV which in March 2016 successfully reached its maximum fundraising goal of 215 million euros and already has two ongoing investments in Corob and KBC.

Press relase