Trigon Capital currently operates 6,800 hectares of farmland and manages 3,500 dairy cows. The Estonia Farmid group operates 9,300 hectares of farmland and owns 2,700 dairy cows. With the signing of a purchase agreement on Wednesday evening, one of Estonia's largest agricultural conglomerates is set to emerge.

Helenius stated that he has signed a confidentiality agreement and, therefore, cannot disclose the transaction's value. "I can help you to the extent that it was more than one million and less than 100 million euros," he said.

Estonia Farmid operates alongside Väätsa Agro, which already belongs to Helenius. He hopes the transaction will create synergies and economies of scale, ultimately boosting profitability.

Helenius emphasized that Estonia provides an excellent environment for dairy production. "I'd like to see dairy products make a significantly larger contribution to Estonia's export sector in the future," he said.

"If an electronics factory is built here and exports €100 million worth of products, Estonia's added value might be three or four million euros. However, if the dairy sector exports €100 million worth of products, that is entirely Estonian added value, meaning the entire amount stays within Estonia," Helenius explained.

"Of course, it's important to have diverse sectors that perform well, but I believe the dairy sector will gradually become an increasingly important part of Estonia's economy and exports," he added.

In the longer term, Helenius said he plans to increase the dairy herd and milk production at his farms, as sufficient land is available for expansion. "This would naturally allow us to produce much, much, much more milk," the businessman remarked.

Helenius also noted that he plans to integrate Estonia Farmid with his other companies in the near future. Afterward, he intends to continue developing the business, though he did not disclose specific plans.

"I've just completed a deal that is by far the largest transaction in the history of Estonia's agricultural sector. I'll focus on this in the near term before pursuing even more ambitious visions," he said.

Estonia Farmid owns an 82.23 percent stake in OÜ Estonia, one of Estonia's largest agricultural companies. OÜ Estonia, in turn, holds a majority stake in Kabala Agro OÜ, owns Sõrandu Farm OÜ outright and has a 40 percent stake in biogas producer OÜ Oisu Biogaas.

Estonia Farmid acknowledged that the decision to sell was not easy. "The current shareholders of OÜ Estonia Farmid, along with their parents and grandparents, have been active in farms, collective farms and companies in the Oisu area for nearly the past 100 years. Therefore, this is an emotionally difficult decision made after careful consideration," said Ain Aasa, chairman of the management board of Estonia OÜ.

The shareholders explained that the decision was driven by the realization that setting new long-term strategic plans has become significantly more challenging. Contributing factors include economic and political uncertainties surrounding food production and doubts about whether large-scale future investments will be reflected in the company's real value 10 years from now.

"We concluded that relying solely on our own resources would involve too great a risk. The logical next step was to find a new owner for OÜ Estonia Farmid who could further develop the company," said Jaanus Marrandi, member of the management board of OÜ Estonia Farmid.

Estonia Farmid OÜ holds stakes in three agricultural companies: Estonia OÜ, Kabala Agro OÜ and Sõrandu Farm OÜ. Together, the group operates approximately 9,300 hectares of arable land and manages 2,700 dairy cows.

Last year, Estonia Farmid earned €1.4 million in profit on a turnover of €19.5 million. By the end of the year, the company's equity stood at €20 million, with total assets of €40.8 million.

Before the current transaction, companies associated with Joakim Helenius owned Estonia's largest dairy farm, Väätsa Agro AS, and the Kaiu LT OÜ dairy farm. Combined, these farms manage 6,800 hectares of farmland and 3,500 dairy cows.

In 2023, Väätsa Agro, owned by Helenius, earned €5 million in profit on a turnover of €19.6 million. The company's equity stood at €24.1 million, with total assets of €29.2 million. Kaiu LT posted a turnover of €6.8 million and a profit of nearly €870,000 last year.

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