CHARLOTTE, NC (January 8, 2020) – Blue Point Capital Partners announced today the successful exit of its interest in U.S. Drinks, LLC, a Blue Point II portfolio company. U.S. Drinks, LLC is the holding company of The Lion Brewery (“Lion”), a producer, packager and distributer of branded and private label specialty beverages located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
The Lion Brewery provides specialized brewing, blending, filling and packaging services for an array of national and regional customers in the non-alcoholic brewed beverage, better-for-you soft drink, energy drink and beer segments.
During Blue Point’s ownership, EBITDA at Lion nearly doubled. Blue Point put into place a strong management team, which built out the Company’s canning capabilities, made substantial capital improvements and implemented numerous operational strategies.
“Lion’s location is ideal to serve the densely populated North East, and its consistency in product quality and delivery has afforded the Company with demand that exceeds its current capacity,” said Juli Marley, a Partner with Blue Point. “We are delighted to see that our support of the business and management team created numerous growth opportunities and positioned Lion to continue to build on and realize optimized results throughout its future.”
Cascadia Capital advised The Lion Brewery on the transaction.
Blue Point Capital Partners is a private equity firm managing over $1.5 billion in committed capital. With offices in Cleveland, Charlotte, Seattle and Shanghai, Blue Point’s geographical footprint allows it to establish relationships with local and regional entrepreneurs and advisors, while providing the resources of a global organization. The Blue Point partner group has a 21-year track record of partnering with companies in the lower middle-market to facilitate growth and transformative change. It is one of only a few middle market private equity firms with a presence in both the United States and Asia, which provides a distinct advantage for its portfolio companies. Blue Point typically invests in businesses that generate between $20 million and $300 million in revenue.
For more information, contact:
BLUE POINT CAPITAL PARTNERS
201 South Tryon Street, Suite 850
Charlotte, NC 28202
Partner
(704) 347-8842