22 December 2022

BDA advises Lavazza on sale of India business and partnership with Everstone-backed Culinary Brands

divested India business and formed partnership with

backed by

2022

BDA Partners is pleased to announce that its client, Lavazza Group, has decided to partner with Everstone to fuel its growth in the India market. Lavazza divested a significant majority stake in Fresh and Honest Café to Culinary Brands, part of Everstone Group. Lavazza has also granted Fresh and Honest an exclusive license for the premium Lavazza coffee brand in India.

BDA Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Lavazza Group on the transaction.

Lavazza Group has operated in India through Fresh and Honest Café Limited (“F&H”), which owns the Fresh and Honest coffee brand, and holds exclusive rights for the premium Lavazza brand.

Lavazza is the symbol of Italian coffee around the world, a global icon representing the authentic Italian experience.

Antonio Baravalle, CEO of Lavazza Group, said “Lavazza Group has been operating in India for the last 15 years. We believe that such a credible and solid local partner as Everstone Group will ensure the achievement of the full potential, and that the Lavazza brand will have an even stronger growth and positioning in the future, as India grows its consumption of coffee.”

Kumar Mahtani, Head of Consumer India, BDA, added: “We’re proud to have advised Lavazza Group on this exciting partnership for India with a highly credible partner, Everstone Group. F&H, with its affordable Fresh and Honest brand, and the rights for the premium Lavazza brand for India, represents a well-positioned blend of affordable and premium coffees in India. This transaction demonstrates BDA’s ability, yet again, to find the right partners for our global Consumer & Retail clients.”

Deal team

About Lavazza Group

Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Turin in 1895 by the tenacious and intuitive Luigi Lavazza, it was initially run from a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10. Lavazza is a family-run company, which carefully sources the highest quality beans from sustainable farms. It offers an entire line of coffee, espresso coffee machines, and accessories. Luigi Lavazza acquired his small store in the heart of old Torino and discovered a flair for coffee. Over generations, he and his family mastered the art and science of coffee. Today, run by the fourth generation, Lavazza is the symbol of Italian coffee worldwide, a global icon representing the authentic Italian experience. www.lavazza.com

About Everstone

Singapore-headquartered Everstone Capital is the private equity arm of the Everstone Group, a private Investment firm with assets of over US$8bn under management across private equity, logistics and digital, climate impact and venture. Everstone is also the exclusive master franchisee for Burger King India, Burger King Indonesia, Popeyes Indonesia and Dominos Indonesia. Everstone is a global firm committed to driving economic growth and creating sustainable value. With seven offices globally (Singapore, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, New York, Dubai and Mauritius), Everstone Capital focuses on the mid-market with a control mindset and growth bias; comprising best of breed investing, operations and strategic resources with significant experience and skills. www.everstongroup.com www.everstonecapital.com

About Culinary Brands

Culinary Brands, part of the Everstone Group, is a food and beverage (F&B) platform, built to transform and scale mass and mass-premium global brands in India and the sub-continent. It owns the exclusive master franchise rights for Subway (the largest QSR brand globally) in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and other countries.

About BDA Partners

BDA Partners is the global investment banking advisor for Asia. We are a premium provider of Asia-related advice to sophisticated clients globally, with 25 years’ experience advising on cross-border M&A, capital raising, and financial restructuring. We provide global reach with our teams in New York and London, and true regional depth through our seven Asian offices in Mumbai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo. BDA has deep expertise in the Chemicals, Consumer & Retail, Health, Industrials, Services, Sustainability and Technology sectors. We work relentlessly to earn our clients’ trust by delivering insightful advice and outstanding outcomes.

BDA Partners has strategic partnerships with William Blair, a premier global investment banking business, and with DBJ (Development Bank of Japan), a Japanese government-owned bank with US$150bn of assets.

US securities transactions are performed by BDA Partners’ affiliate, BDA Advisors Inc, a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). BDA Advisors Inc is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and SIPC. In the UK, BDA Partners is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In Hong Kong, BDA Partners (HK) Ltd is licensed and regulated by the Securities & Futures Commission (SFC) to conduct Type 1 and Type 4 regulated activities to professional investors. www.bdapartners.com

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