William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to EMPWR, a portfolio company of Waterland Private Equity, in connection with its acquisition of Noble Foods Nutrition, Inc. (Noble Foods). The transaction closed on March 21, 2022.
About the Companies
Noble Foods, based in Montreal, Canada, is a manufacturer of nutrition and energy bars with an impeccable reputation that has been forged from many years of relentless customer service. The most trusted brands in North America rely on Noble Foods’ manufacturing expertise due to its customer responsiveness, reasonable minimum order quantities and direct access to the owners of the company.
EMPWR, headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, is a developer and manufacturer of next-generation protein bars. Producing some of the iconic and leading brands in Europe, EMPWR has risen quickly as a star player in the field by delivering the best taste and texture to the market. EMPWR offers a wide range of possibilities within the protein bar segment, ranging from extraordinary vegan protein bars to dairy protein bars between 20% to 50%+ protein content.
Waterland Private Equity is a pan-European private equity investment group that supports entrepreneurs in realizing their growth ambitions. Since its start in 1999, the firm has made investments in more than 800 companies. Waterland currently manages more than €9 billion of investor commitments. Waterland focuses on industries that are undergoing change as a consequence of one or more of the following trends: sustainability, outsourcing and digitalization, aging population, and leisure and luxury.
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