SICIT

Who owns SICIT?

SICIT was owned by Renaissance Partners through NB Renaissance Fund III (2019 vintage) from 2021 to 2025, exited via Secondary.

Buyer identity available on Pro.

Hand-verified · updated 2026-07-21

About SICIT

SICIT Group is an Italian producer of protein hydrolysates that operates a circular business model, transforming by-products from the leather and tanning industry into high value-added, fully biodegradable products through a hydrolysis process. Its two main product lines are biostimulants for agriculture, spanning animal, seaweed and plant-based formulations, and retardants used in the plaster and plasterboard industry, alongside a fat stream extracted from tanning residues for biofuel production. Headquartered in the Valle del Chiampo tanning district of Vicenza, the company positions itself as a world leader in its niche, supplying business-to-business agrochemical and industrial clients, and exporting more than 90 percent of its revenue. It runs manufacturing operations in Italy at Arzignano and Chiampo, and has extended its footprint internationally through a plant in Mexico and a controlling stake in Chile's Patagonia Biotecnologia.

Ownership journey

SICIT was founded in 1960 in Chiampo, in the Vicenza tanning district, and was among the first companies in the world to introduce animal-origin protein hydrolysates into the agricultural biostimulants market. Having previously traded on the Milan exchange following a SPAC combination, the business was taken private in 2021 when NB Renaissance, investing through its third fund, acquired control and de-listed the company. NB Renaissance held SICIT as a portfolio company for roughly four years, supporting an international build-out of sourcing and production. In 2025 the fund exited its position via a secondary transaction, after which its involvement in the company ended.

Under PE ownership

The 2021 investment was used to scale SICIT beyond its Italian base, and over NB Renaissance's holding period the company more than doubled both revenues and EBITDA. Growth was driven by sustained end-market demand, expansion of production capacity supported by process innovation, and diversification of raw material sourcing, drawing intake from additional leather districts across the rest of Europe, Mexico, Brazil and Turkey. On the operating side the group broadened its geographic reach by launching a new production facility in Mexico and, in 2023, acquiring a majority interest in Patagonia Biotecnologia in Chile, adding plant-based biostimulant capabilities. It also widened its product range from its historical animal-based hydrolysates into seaweed and plant-based biostimulants, reinforcing its standing as a supplier to global agrochemical players.