Argentinian Dairy Company Sudamericana de Lácteos Changes Hands, Aims to Resume Production

The Argentinian dairy company Sudamericana de Lácteos is set to resume operations after nearly six months of production halt, following a change in ownership. Businessman Pablo González has acquired the firm, which was grappling with a significant financial crisis, and has initiated efforts to reactivate the plant located in Díaz, Santa Fe.

González anticipates production could restart within 15 to 20 days, contingent on the labor agreement's homologation by the Secretariat of Labor of Santa Fe. The company had been idle since January, leaving workers without salaries for months and accumulating debts with employees, dairy farmers, suppliers, and other creditors. The acquisition aims to revive the plant and restore its supply to both domestic and neighboring markets.

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We had been in conversations for about three months to buy this company. We have an oil mill near Díaz and some clients were suppliers to this dairy company. From there, we received information that it was for sale and we started analyzing it.

González, who also operates an oil mill in Serodino, learned about Sudamericana de Lácteos through producers who supplied milk to the company. He engaged in negotiations for approximately three months before finalizing the purchase. The deal's finalization was dependent on restructuring the company's debts with various creditors, a process that advanced swiftly with suppliers and workers.

However, negotiations with the dairy workers' union, Atilra, presented the main challenge. While agreements with employees regarding salary debt regularization were reached smoothly, discussions with the union caused delays. A resolution was finally achieved last Monday, clearing the path for the company's relaunch under new management.

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There were no problems with the employees to agree on how to regularize the salary debt. The issue appeared when we had to agree with the union.