Livingstone is pleased to announce that Natsu Foods GmbH & Co. KG (“Natsu” or the “Company”) has refinanced its existing term debt and revolving credit facilities. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2004, Natsu is a leading German producer of branded and private label (ultra-)fresh convenience food products, including rice-based items (a.o. sushi and onigiri) and bakery products (sandwiches, wraps and sweet bakery products), with three production sites in Germany and Poland. Distributing via direct delivery and warehouse logistics, Natsu supplies leading supermarket chains, discounters, petrol stations and food service companies across Germany and adjacent European countries and is recognized as a category leader dedicated to product innovation. The Company continues to be led by its co-founders, Tim and Tom Hörnemann, and generates sales of close to EUR 100 million.
Natsu mandated Livingstone as its exclusive financial advisor to review the Company’s strategic options ahead of its next growth phase. Livingstone guided Natsu through a comprehensive strategic review of alternative funding options, including several offers for the acquisition of up to 100% of the shares in the Company. Ultimately, a refinancing of the business was chosen as the ideal structure to achieve the goals and objectives of the Hörnemann brothers. At attractive conditions, the shareholders were able to streamline and simplify the business’ funding base, while retaining sole control and management of the business in line with their continued entrepreneurial drive and aspirations.
Tim Hörnemann, CEO of Natsu, commented: “Through a carefully structured process, Natsu has laid the foundation for its next phase of growth with a significantly simplified funding structure, allowing us to fully focus on the Company’s continued growth in the years ahead. Retaining full control and management of the business represents an ideal outcome for Tom and myself, one that would not have been possible without the perseverance and professionalism of the Livingstone team throughout a demanding process.”
Luca Pignato, Partner at Livingstone, added: “We thank Natsu for the trust placed in us. Together, we evaluated a range of alternative transaction structures and identified the most straightforward path to fulfilling our client’s objectives.” Matti Schroeder, Director at Livingstone, commented: “Our focus was on reducing governance complexity and establishing a stable foundation for future development.”
