Arias, Fábrega & Fábrega acted as counsel to Colombia's Casa Luker and its Panamanian affiliate Productos Alimenticios Pascual, in connection with the acquisition of the operations which make up the Café Duran Group, including those of Esteban Duran Amat, S.A., Torrefactora Coclé, S.A., Bianchi Vending Panamá, S.A., and Cafetales, S.A.

ARIFA advised Casa Luker in both the financing portion of the transaction with Banco General, as well as the structuring and acquisition of the Café Duran operation.

Casa Luker is a Colombian conglomerate of entities in both the manufacturing and distribution of a wide range of products, including cocoa-based and chocolate-based drinks, chocolates, cereals, fruits, fish and seafood, oils and margarines, industrial supplies, personal care products and household cleaning products.  In Panama, Casa Luker owns Productos Alimenticios Pascual, S.A., the largest cookies and candies manufacturer in Panama, as well as Pasta Suprema and Sociedad de Alimentos de Primera, a leading player in fresh dairy products and fruit based beverages under the umbrella brand "Bonlac".  The operations of the Café Durán group are the fourth major acquisition by Casa Luker in Panama.

Julianne Canavaggio, senior associate, Andrés Rubinoff and Diego Bunster, international associates, were the attorneys principally involved in this transaction, with the support of Estif Aparicio, partner and María Cristina Guardia, international associate in all tax aspects of the acquisition structure.