Capital raise · Food & Beverage

Management Fee Structuring Counsel for Food & Beverage Acquisitions

Structuring Management Fee Structuring 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

Every food and beverage acquisition has its own gravity. Management Fee Structuring is the workstream where independent sponsor counsel earns the seat.

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 Management Fee Structuring actually gets structured.

  1. Set the fee at 2 percent of invested capital, stepping to 1.5 percent after year three.

  2. Carve out portfolio-company services so add-on diligence is reimbursable.

  3. Allow accrual if cash flow does not support payment, with later cash catch-up.

  4. Make the fee subordinate to debt service, not to LP preferred return.

  5. In food and beverage, layer in co-pack capacity agreement re-papered as part of the Management Fee Structuring workstream.

The common mistake

Pricing the fee on enterprise value instead of invested capital. EV-based fees punish you on the first add-on.

Jason's take
"The management fee pays for the firm. Underprice it and you will run a hobby, not a platform."
Jason Powell · Management Fee Structuring
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
TALK TO JASON

An LOI on the desk, a food and beverage target, and a Management Fee Structuring question worth a real conversation.

Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.