Unox buys out robotic food processor firm

Cooking equipment manufacturer Unox has acquired fellow Italian manufacturer Roboqbo, which produces robotic food processing systems.

Unox intends the buyout to boost its revenue from 2024’s €330m (£291m) to €400m (£352m) for 2026 and strengthen its strategy to make advanced kitchen automation accessible to professional operators worldwide.

The acquisition will also enable Unox to enhance its product range by integrating Roboqbo’s advanced robotic and process-automation technologies with its existing portfolio of intelligent, multifunctional ovens. The combined offering aims to extend automation to cooking and preparation tasks that cannot be performed inside an oven, supporting the group’s long-term goal of building a complete ecosystem for fully automated kitchen operations.

Founded in 1978 in Bentivoglio, Bologna, Roboqbo has an R&D driven approach to automation solutions for the food (and cosmetics) industries. The firm will continue to operate from its longstanding headquarters. In 2024, the company recorded revenues of approximately €17m (£15m) and currently employs more than 120 people. Unox expects to triple Roboqbo’s revenues within six to eight years.

Roboqbo’s flagship solution, the Qbo Universal Processing System, is a multifunctional all-in-one unit capable of replacing multiple pieces of standalone equipment, including mixers, cutters, meat grinders, pasteurisers and cooking vessels.

Unox CEO Nicola Michelon said: “This acquisition allows us to leverage a new technological package, strengthening our mission to deliver intelligent solutions to the needs of foodservice professionals. By integrating Roboqbo’s machines with our intelligent Cheftop and Bakertop ovens, we aim to offer customers an integrated platform capable of managing all food preparation and cooking processes.

“In the coming months, we will begin integrating our commercial and technical service networks across the foodservice equipment sector, with the goal of rapidly scaling Roboqbo’s volumes and revenues and increasing resources dedicated to R&D and Operations. Roboqbo’s activities in the cosmetics sector will also be strengthened through targeted investments in marketing and market development.”

Roboqbo founder Giuseppe Malavasi added: “From the beginning, my goal has been to bring genuine innovation to professional kitchens, putting technology at the service of people. Roboqbo’s uniqueness stems from a simple intuition: making automation technologies, once reserved for large food-processing industries, accessible to professional kitchens and pastry labs. After years of growth and innovation, I am proud to entrust this to Unox, a company that shares our values of excellence, global vision and passion for innovation. With their industrial strength and international network, I am confident our technology will reach an ever-growing number of professionals worldwide.

“Labour shortages, recruitment challenges, the need for consistent quality and growing demand for process versatility are among the most prevalent issues operators face. With integrated automatic cleaning, simplified maintenance and preset cooking programmes, operational efficiency can be better achieved, even when staffing levels are limited.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This year, Unox officially opened €100m (£87.5m) industrial complex ‘Unox City’ at its base in Padua, northern Italy. It also recently launched equipment leasing for the public sector in the UK.

Unox won The Caterer’s Supplier Awards 2025 Cooking Equipment Brand of the Year accolade.