Capital raise · Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage Deals: Capital Partner LPA Done Right

Drafting Capital Partner LPA on food and beverage deals, with the structure protection and capital connectivity an independent sponsor actually needs.

EV range $10M to $120M EV EBITDA $2M to $20M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

The economics on a food and beverage platform deal usually hinge on a handful of structural decisions. Capital Partner LPA is one of them.

The typical food and beverage platform sits at $10M to $120M EV with EBITDA in the $2M to $20M range. The thesis runs on CPG roll-up or co-packing platform with regional bolt-ons. Treat trade spend like a working capital item, not a marketing line. The valuation moves accordingly.

The moves

How Capital Partner LPA actually gets structured.

  1. Anchor on a 20 percent carry above an 8 percent preferred return, 50/50 catch-up.

  2. Build a one-vote, one-LP majority for any waterfall change.

  3. Define key-person and removal-for-cause provisions narrowly.

  4. Make distributions quarterly, with an annual true-up against the waterfall.

  5. In food and beverage, layer in co-pack capacity agreement re-papered as part of the Capital Partner LPA workstream.

The common mistake

Reusing a fund LPA template for a deal-by-deal structure. The economics, governance, and waterfall need to be different.

Jason's take
"The LPA outlives the deal. Draft it like the next ten deals will be governed by the same paper."
Jason Powell · Capital Partner LPA
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

Capital after close is where the IRR actually gets made. The right introductions at month nine through month thirty are where this practice works as hard as it does at the LOI.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
ENGAGE THE PRACTICE

Capital Partner LPA for Food & Beverage, on independent sponsor terms.

Independent sponsor counsel that already speaks fluent deal-by-deal economics, structures clean LPAs, and travels with capital markets relationships for what comes after close.