Transaction Overview
- Represented privately-owned Sojos (“Sojos” or the “Company”) in its sale to WellPet, a portfolio company of Berwind Corporation.
- Sojos, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a niche-market leading manufacturer of branded premium pet food, serving the fast-growing dehydrated raw category. Most of the Company’s pet food is for dogs, with a small portion dedicated to cats.
- WellPet is a collection of branded natural pet foods that also includes Wellness, Eagle Pack, Holistic Select and Old Mother Hubbard.
- Berwind Corporation, founded in 1886 as Berwind-White Coal Mining Company, is a fifth-generation, family-owned investment management company that invests in middle-market companies.
Key Observations
- WellPet’s interest was based on a combination of Sojos’ reputation for superior product innovation, brand loyalty and channel relationships.
- In order to ensure the highest quality standards, WellPet’s interest extended to acquiring businesses that manufactured their own products, which Sojos did from two modern production facilities in Minneapolis.
- The pet industry generally, and premium branded pet foods/products specifically, continue to generate significant interest from multiple segments of the buyout market.