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Azkoyen Group has acquired Spanish coffee machine company, Ascaso, for €17 million. Based in Barcelona, Ascaso manufactures traditional espresso machines, distributing its products in international markets, including the UK, US, Europe and Southeast Asia. The acquisition will build on Azkoyen's existing leadership position in the office coffee service, HoReCa and vending segments, and will also complete Azkoyen's range of automatic and semi-automatic coffee machines. Ascaso's production centre in Gavá, Barcelona, will be added to Azkoyen's facilities, which include sites in the UK, Spain and Colombia. Juan José Suárez, chairman of the Azkoyen Group, said: “The acquisition of Ascaso provides us with new potential in the premium coffee range, making us a unique player, able to offer our products across all the segments. In addition, Ascaso’s philosophy of product innovation and manufacturing excellence provides us with a new leadership position in the premium coffee segment, from semi-automatic to traditional coffee machines, which already represents a crucial part of our revenues and for which we have very ambitious growth plans." He added: "We believe that Ascaso’s employees and its CEO will bring a wealth of talent to our ranks, and its headquarters in Barcelona, a mecca of design and innovation, will open up numerous opportunities for new product development.”