Australia's Liverpool Partners acquires coffee brand

Liverpool is a middle market growth and buyout investor set up in 2012 that targets opportunities across Australia and New Zealand with a focus on social impact.

Financial details have not been disclosed. Liverpool targets businesses seeking A$10-50 million ($7-36 million) in equity, with revenue of A$10-200 million and EBITDA of A$2-20 million.

Andy Simpken, who acquired Seven Miles in the early 2000s, will stay on as a director. He was previously general manager of Unilever’s coffee business in Australia and a tea taster for Lipton.

Founded as Belaroma Coffee in 1968, Seven Miles supplies coffee to network of cafes and retail outlets numbering in the thousands across New South Wales and Queensland. It offers nine branded products and a range of industry education and coffee science services. There is a significant emphasis on ethical bean sourcing, recycling and use of environmental technology.

Last month, Seven Miles acquired Bills Beans, a similar boutique supplier in the Canberra and Brisbane areas. In a social media post, Seven Miles also noted that the Liverpool investment would see the company combine with Sydney-area counterpart Delana Speciality Coffee, which is known for its sub-brand, Abstract Coffee Roasters.

Liverpool recently invested in Australian Beverage Corporation (ABC), a leading coffee equipment and services provider. Seven Miles said it expects to leverage a partnership with the company, benefiting from access to best-in-class technology and data services, as well as coffee innovation talent. ABC’s clients include Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Ikea, and Woolworths.

Liverpool is led by Brad Lancken, previously of Sydney-based Archer Capital, China’s CMC Capital, and South Africa’s Coast2Coast Capital. The firm makes a feature of its sustainable investment policies and purpose-driven thesis. To this end, it maintains an impact investment arm called Inspire Impact and The Generations Foundation, a children-focused charitable organization.

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• Topics
• Australasia
• Consumer
• Support services
• Buyouts
• Australia
• Food
• Logistics
• Liverpool Partners