July 23, 2023, Boston, MA. Earlier today, Beliv, a business unit of Grupo Mariposa, a multinational beverage corporation, announced that it completed a majority acquisition of High Brew Coffee Inc. (“High Brew”, the “Company”) on July 3, 2023. Whipstitch Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor to High Brew in the transaction.
High Brew is a leading, premium, RTD coffee brand with offerings including cold brews, lattes, nitros and more. The Company has successfully amassed a large, loyal customer base over its ten-year history of selling delicious, high-quality coffee.
Mike Burgmaier, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Whipstitch Capital noted, “High Brew has proven itself as a coffee innovator through several successful product launches. They built a solid independent DSD network needed to scale the brand in the US. With its strong brand and connection to consumers, we are confident they will continue to succeed in this next chapter. We are excited to watch them grow under Beliv’s ownership.”
“The Whipstitch team was terrific throughout the process. Their high-touch, strategic approach helped lead us to the smooth and successful exit,” said David Smith, CEO, High Brew. He added,
“I have worked with several investment banks over the years, the Whipstitch team went above and beyond all others in preparing us for every step; we are grateful for their expert guidance.”
“Beliv is the right home for High Brew,” added Bill Blankemeier, CFO, High Brew. “Our products fit perfectly within their portfolio and will help Beliv achieve their goal of being a leader in the healthy beverage space within the Americas.”
ABOUT HIGH BREW
Founded in 2013 by David Smith, High Brew is an Austin-based high-quality, premium, RTD coffee brand. Available in 12 flavors, which are 100% natural and low in sugar. High Brew is distributed to 15,000 points of sale across the United States, in major chains such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Albertsons / Safeway, Kroger, HEB, Costco, Raley’s, Wegmans, The Fresh Market, Amazon, and others.
ABOUT BELIV
Beliv was founded in 2009 by Argentinian entrepreneur Carlos Sluman. Its vision was to lead the growth of better for you beverages and, its mission, to transform the way people quench their thirst, driven by wellness and inspired by nature. Beliv is a part of Grupo Mariposa company, a multinational beverage corporation with a track record of 138 years that operates in USA, Canada, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, the largest product portfolio in the region, and distribution in more than two million points of sale. Grupo Mariposa is made up of different business units, among which are: cbc, Beliv, Bia, Apex and Apex Capital.
ABOUT WHIPSTITCH CAPITAL
Whipstitch Capital is the largest independent private investment bank in the U.S. solely focused on better-for-you and emerging consumer brands sectors, specializing in sell-side, buy-side M&A and private placements. Whipstitch understands that every situation, every company and product is unique. We listen. We focus. We provide honesty and transparency. We make deals happen. We create the ‘whipstitch’ of the deal. Get ready to Deal DifferentTM. For more information click here.