Ito En Acquired PE-Backed Dairy Maker

Ito En Ltd., a top-ranked beverage company, acquired all shares of Chichiyasu Co., a Hiroshima-based dairy product manufacturer, from J-WILL Partners, a Tokyo-based midsized buyout firm, for an estimated 10 billion yen, according to Nikkei. Ito En plans to expand businesses other than its main green-tea products through this acquisition since Chichiyasu has been renowned for its yogurt products.