Courtesy of Sammontana Italia
Sammontana Italia acquires La Rocca Creative Cakes
The Canadian cake business operates in the retail in-store bakery channel.
Sammontana Italia Group, through its newly formed entity Sammontana North America, has signed an agreement to acquire La Rocca Creative Cakes, a Canadian company founded by the Givens family, based in Toronto and operating in the retail in-store bakery channel. The company, with a production bakery dedicated to cakes, desserts, and frozen pastries, distributes its products in Canada and the United States.
The agreement marks an important step in the growth strategy announced by the new Sammontana Italia Group, which aims to expand into foreign markets through organic growth and targeted acquisitions in the dessert, ice cream, and frozen pastry sectors. The addition of La Rocca to the Group’s portfolio will be complementary and synergistic both in terms of sales channels and product assortment to Sammontana Italia’s Bindi brand, which is already present in the North American market, primarily in the foodservice channel. The new brand will complement the pastry craftsmanship of Bindi, strengthening the Group’s presence in Canada and the U.S. and consolidating its position in the in-store bakery segment, the company says.
“At the beginning of the year, we set ambitious goals for growth and international expansion, and the acquisition of La Rocca Creative Cakes is a significant step toward achieving these objectives. Furthermore, the brand aligns closely with us in both values and business practices—key considerations for our Group when choosing new partners,” states Alessandro Angelon, CEO of Sammontana Italia. “La Rocca is not only an established leader in the premium dessert market, but it also shares our deep-rooted commitment to high-quality ingredients, craftsmanship, and Italian-inspired pastry excellence and know-how. We are therefore confident that our combined strengths will deliver excellent results.”
Nearly 40 years ago, Lina Givens and Harvey Easson, together with their sons, Marty and Michael, founded La Rocca Creative Cakes with a vision to create high-quality desserts for the North American market. Under their leadership, the company became one of the largest premium dessert manufacturer in Canada. For the past 25 years, Michael Givens has led La Rocca through a period of significant expansion, maintaining the highest standards of quality and innovation.
Operating from its Toronto facility, La Rocca Creative Cakes produces over 120,000 premium cakes each week on average, supplying leading retail stores across North America. In 2024, La Rocca generated revenues of over $70 million Canadian dollars.
Michael Givens, President & CEO of La Rocca, will continue to lead La Rocca as it enters this new phase. “Joining forces with Sammontana Italia marks an incredible opportunity for La Rocca,” said Givens. “With our shared passion for premium desserts and commitment to excellence, we look forward to unlocking new growth opportunities and delivering even more exceptional products to our customers.”
The transaction is expected to close in March 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.
