BBH Capital Partners, Ancor Capital Partners and Liguria management retained BlackArch Partners to assist in realizing a return on their investment in Liguria Foods (“Liguria” or the “Company”) and to find a new partner positioned to capitalize on the Company’s value proposition and substantial growth opportunities.
BlackArch designed a tailored marketing process that targeted financial sponsors and strategic acquirors with experience in protein or interest in the food, consumer products and manufacturing sectors. The BlackArch team illustrated Liguria’s differentiated product and service offering and opportunities for growth within the $1 billion U.S. pepperoni market with a digital, interactive Confidential Information Presentation. Where appropriate, certain potential acquirors received in-person or telephonic roadshow presentations and detailed additional analyses. To help interested parties understand the Company’s unique and highly profitable business model, marketing materials included volume, sales and margin by customer and by product as well as analyses on the impact of raw material price fluctuations.
Liguria received significant interest from financial sponsors and strategic acquirors. Liguria was acquired by CTI Foods, a portfolio company of Thomas H. Lee Partners and Goldman Sachs & Co. and a major provider of custom food solutions to America’s top restaurant chains. The Liguria management team joined CTI Foods and reinvested a portion of their proceeds in the company.