NEWS
-
10/05/2023
Cerea Partners presses ahead with its fast-paced development, raising 3 new funds and strengthening its teams
Paris, 10 May 2023 – Cerea Partners, a pioneering investor and partner for companies in the food & beverage universe, has launched 3 new funds, raising almost €700 million and lifting its total assets under management to €1.3 billion.
Cerea Partners is advancing along its trajectory of rapid expansion and has strengthened its teams by making 6 new hiring over the past 18 months.
The management company is also sharpening its focus on the sustainable values of better nutrition, better production and better living through investments aligned with its goals of delivering sustainable development and facilitating the transition of the small and lower mid-caps it supports.
“We’re delighted with the progress we’ve made since the takeover by the management team,” commented Michel Chabanel, CEO of Cerea Partners. “Our investment strategy goes to the heart of the sustainable development challenges we all face.Our goal is to continue to invest in better nutrition, better production and better living, while living up to the expectations of our investors and our entrepreneurs.”
Three years after its management buy-out, Cerea Partners’ performance has gone from strength to strength. Its teams have been very busy, completing 26 investments and investing €300 million over the past 18 months through the launch of three new generations of its mezzanine, debt and private equity funds:- Cerea Partners secured commitments for the fourth generation Cerea Mezzanine IV fund. The fund has already topped €280 million, beating its target size. It is almost 50% larger than its predecessor. The fund has already completed nine investments totalling over €130 million, including in Hafner, TVH Consulting, Nutrimuscle, Novepan and ProNoïa
- Cerea Dette III, which completed its initial closing in February 2022, has raised almost €215 million to date, thanks to the support of its core investors and also new, highly renowned institutional investors, such as the European Investment Fund (EIF). The fund had a very busy first year of investment activity, completing 16 deals worth over €160 million, including in Compagnie des Desserts, De Sangosse, Be Paper, Holweg Weber and several investments in Spain and Italy
- Lastly, Cerea Capital III completed its initial closing in late June 2022, having secured fund commitments in excess of €180 million. In July 2022, it made its first investment in Groupe Ethique et Santé, a network of franchised centres specialised in treating overweight individuals upon medical prescription.Additionally, a majority stake in Polaris, a recognized player in the concentrated Omega-3 oil market, has just been finalized. Another investment has been signed and is expected to be completed before the end of May.
Cerea Partners today has €1.3 billion under management and has raised more than €2.1 billion since its inception via 10 private equity, mezzanine and senior debt funds.
Recent appointments
Cerea Partners has brought in six new team members over the past 18 months:- Two additions to the Private Equity team:
- Benjamin Dierickx, a new Partner, and a former investment manager at Astorg after beginning his career as a consultant with LEK Consulting
- Gabrielle Poitrinal (previously with Mazars) as an
Associate
- Two analysts in the Private Debt team:
- Pierre-Louis Gillas
- Myriam Benchadli
- Thierry Larroque as Chief
Financial Officer. Thierry has held various posts in the banking and finance
sector, including with the Hines and the CBRE Global Investors groups.
- Déborah Rajaosafara as ESG Manager. In her role fully focused on ESG, she will help deliver the management company’s strategy of investing sustainably and responsibly.
Cerea Partners’ focus on sustainable values further sharpened
By leveraging its longstanding expertise in the food & beverage industry, Cerea Partners’ investment strategy aims to nurture and develop key trends in society and to champion responsible investing. Its strategy rests on three pillars:- Better nutrition: Encourage the development of healthier, more varied and more affordable food, promote traditional good cooking and local expertise, and support the development of responsible products.
- Better production: Champion the circular economy and a sustainable approach to consumption and use of natural resources, optimise production systems and help new, more responsible production models to gain traction.
- Better living: Contribute to people’s well-being and health and protect biodiversity.
.jpg)
