Cyprium Completes Investment in Willamette Valley Meat Company & Announces a Final Close on SBIC I with Over $190 Million of Committed Capital
Cyprium Partners is pleased to share that it has completed a second investment from its recently closed SBIC fund. The non-controlling investment, in partnership with two other SBIC funds, provided debt and equity to support the acquisition of Willamette Valley Meat Company by Bochi Investments, LLC, an Oregon-based independent sponsor. This marks Cyprium’s 15th investment alongside an independent sponsor.
Founded in Portland, Oregon, Willamette Valley Meat Company is a leading value-added processor and distributor of a wide range of fresh and frozen protein items, including beef, pork, poultry, veal, goat, lamb, seafood, and others. The company provides a unique value proposition, sourcing a wide range of proteins – from traditional to exotic cuts – and creating custom meat programs for both large grocery chains and independent grocery stores, especially those serving local ethnic populations. Family-owned since inception in 1998, the company has grown from a handful of employees to one of Oregon’s largest meat processors.
“Due to its heritage in the food and beverage industry, roots in the Pacific Northwest and existing relationship with the Klein family, Bochi Investments is a very natural fit for Willamette Valley Meat, and we are excited to include it in the Cyprium SBIC I portfolio,” said Drew Molinari, Partner at Cyprium. “We raised our SBIC fund anticipating that we would have the opportunity to invest alongside other like-minded SBIC funds, and this experience was yet another reminder of how collaborative that process can be when working with the right people.”
On February 28th, Cyprium had a final close on its debut SBIC fund with over $190 million of committed capital. This closing allows the partnership to make junior capital investments of $5 – $15 million in founder, family, management, entrepreneur, and independent sponsor-owned companies with $4 to $10 million of EBITDA. This new fund is an extension of Cyprium’s existing strategy, leveraging the firm’s 27-year history and network of trusted referral sources. The firm will continue making non-controlling investments of $10 to $60 million in privately held companies generating $10 million or more of EBITDA from its existing non-SBIC funds.
About Cyprium Partners
Cyprium Partners is a private equity and mezzanine firm focused on non-controlling investments in profitable middle-market companies, allowing company owners and their management teams to retain a controlling interest in their businesses. Cyprium provides common equity, preferred stock, subordinated debt, or any combination thereof, offering flexibility and increasing the certainty of close.
With offices in Cleveland, New York, and Chicago, the firm invests $5 million to $60 million per transaction in U.S. and Canadian companies with $4 million or more of EBITDA. Since its founding in 1998, the team has invested over $2.0 billion in 104 platform investments throughout North America.