maconda supports AG Capital in its investment in CD-LUX, a leading provider of high-quality edible promotional products
maconda News January 2025
maconda once again demonstrates its expertise in the food and confectionery industry as well as in niche markets: The Cologne-based consulting firm supported the mid-market investor AG Capital from Austria with a comprehensive Commercial Due Diligence in preparation for the investment in CD-LUX. The company is a leading provider of climate-neutral edible promotional products made in Germany. maconda’s experienced consultants assessed CD-LUX’s current positioning and prospects in the corporate promotional products market.
Based in Bavaria, CD-LUX designs and assembles promotional products with more than 60 permanent employees—currently primarily advent calendars as corporate gifts for business partners. To capture this specific niche market, for which no data exists, a comprehensive Commercial Due Diligence was required—with a differentiated view of the seasonal business and its drivers. maconda combined all collected qualitative and quantitative information using a proven methodology, thereby arriving at a differentiated understanding of the value chain and its unique characteristics.
Key success factors: CD-LUX offers the largest range of promotional advent calendars on the market, filled almost exclusively with branded products, and focuses on sustainable packaging as well as high-quality finishing. In addition, there is a good price-performance ratio and excellent customer service. “Overall, we see clear growth opportunities for CD-LUX. We wish all parties much success in their future activities!” summarizes Rainer Mayer.
About CD-LUX
CD-LUX was founded in 1997 by Johann Dirscherl, father of the current managing shareholders Alexander and Dennis Dirscherl, and is a leading provider of climate-neutral confectionery promotional products made in Germany. Customers are primarily promotional product distributors and agencies as well as advertising companies as direct customers. CD-LUX offers individually customizable products that are mostly filled with branded chocolate and increasingly use sustainable materials such as cardboard, paper fibers, grass paper, and recycled coffee cup paper. The product range includes advent and Christmas calendars, Easter and spring calendars, as well as year-round available products.
About AG Capital
AG Capital is an independent, long-term oriented private equity firm based in Vienna. As a partner for mid-sized companies, AG Capital provides buy-out and growth capital and supports its portfolio companies in sustainable and profitable growth. AG Capital was founded in 2021 by a team around the two managing directors Karl Lankmayr and Daniel Jennewein as well as C-Quadrat Investment AG.
maconda builds expertise in food products and niche markets
The maconda team has conducted countless projects related to CD-LUX’s business, including chocolate products, other confectionery, seasonal items, customized consumer goods, promotional products, and also printing technology (including digital printing for small batch sizes). This makes maconda one of the most experienced consultants in this industry. This applies to all stages of the value chain, from raw material and packaging production to product development, branding, and marketing across all conceivable distribution channels such as specialist retailers, service agencies, B2B generalists, and B2C online platforms. maconda has accompanied numerous Commercial Due Diligences, strategic repositioning and business model optimization projects, as well as operational performance improvement initiatives.
In-depth industry experience: Confectionery, Chocolate, Snacks | (Customized) Promotional Products | Consumer Goods | Contract Manufacturing & Contract Filling | Brands and Private Labels | Packaging | Recycling | and much more
About maconda
For more than 20 years, maconda has supported company acquisitions, performance optimization, and restructuring. With over 800 consulting and implementation projects and more than 450 transaction-related engagements, maconda has comprehensive experience to pragmatically support even demanding projects. Clients include mid-sized companies, business units of large corporations, as well as international private equity investors and family offices.
maconda industry expertise: Consumer Goods (incl. FMCGs) | Food | Retail & eCommerce | Packaging | B2C Services | B2B Services (incl. Business Process Outsourcing) | Future Technologies & Software | Mechanical Engineering | Manufacturing Companies | Construction Industry | and much more