The Global ID Group, a Fairfield, Iowa-based division of Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC, acquired Bioagricert, a leading certification and control body company based in Bologna, Italy. 

Founded in 1984, Bioagricert provides organic certification services according to Italian national and international standards, as well as product quality certification services and other certifications such as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographic Indication (PGI), GlobalG.A.P., natural cosmetics and textiles, green energy, fair trade and more. Bioagricert certifies about 11,500 operators in Italy and 1,500 internationally, including in Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean Basin and Eastern Europe. The company also aids in the development of new certification standards in Italy and internationally. 

Upon completion of the transaction, Riccardo Cozzo, managing director of Bioagricert, will lead Bioagricert's international business while Alessandro Lombardi, head of Bioagricert's agribusiness, will assume leadership of Italy under Global ID. The rest of Bioagricert's executive team, Vito Russo and Federico Di Biase, will continue to play key roles in operating the business. 

"The acquisition of Bioagricert is an exciting next step in Global ID's continued strong growth and its leadership position in the food testing, inspection, certification and supply chain services market,” says Brad Riemenapp, chief executive officer of Global ID. “Importantly, Bioagricert adds organic certification to our global suite of products and services, which will enable Global ID to offer a broader portfolio of solutions to our clients. Bioagricert has an excellent reputation and a growing customer base, which stem from its long history of certification leadership and its in-depth understanding of the organic production chain. We believe there are significant opportunities to drive growth through our complementary service offerings on a global basis, most notably non-GMO certification, GlobalG.A.P. and our ProTerra sustainability program. We are enthusiastic about partnering with the Bioagricert team and expanding Global ID's market-leading portfolio of food safety and quality solutions."

"Consumers across the world are increasingly conscious about the quality and safety of their food and other products, and that joining with Global ID will enable us to better meet the growing global demand for organic and other certifications,” adds the Bioagricert executive team of Lombardi, Cozzo, Di Biase and Russo. “Over the last 30 years, we have built Bioagricert into a leading and trusted certification body in Italy and across our markets internationally. We are confident that, working with the rest of the highly talented Global ID team, we will continue to drive growth and the execution of the company's strategy to expand our reach even further. We thank our employees, inspectors and partners for their continued hard work and commitment to providing our customers with the world-class organic and product quality certification services they expect from us."