Funds to Refinance Existing Debt and Fuel Expansion Projects
LONDON – Global investment firm The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) today announced that its Carlyle Credit Opportunities Fund has provided the entire €140 million debt financing package for Unifrutti, having subscribed to 100 percent of Unifrutti’s debut debt issuance. The global producer, marketer and distributor of fresh fruit, owned by the De Nadai family, intends to use the funds to refinance existing debt facilities and support its expansion plans.
Carlyle’s Credit Opportunities Fund is a $2.4 billion fund that invests in directly originated private capital solutions primarily for upper middle market borrowers, including non-private equity sponsored, family or entrepreneur-owned companies.
Taj Sidhu, Managing Director and Head of Carlyle’s European Credit Opportunities advisory team, said, “Carlyle’s global team, with deep expertise in key markets around the world, was critical to our ability to identify and underwrite this deal for Unifrutti, one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of fruit products.”
Nicola Falcinelli, Managing Director of Carlyle’s European Credit Opportunities advisory team, said, “We are pleased to support Unifrutti’s continued expansion as it meets growing demand for high-quality, fresh fruit. In addition to providing this financing package, we will work closely with the Company as a strategic partner to support potential acquisitions and growth projects as opportunities arise.”
Marco Venturelli, Group CEO of Unifrutti, said, “We have big ambitions and we believe that Carlyle is the ideal financial partner to support our expansion projects across the globe. There is a positive outlook in the fresh fruit market and we will continue consolidating our leadership position with the objective of creating value for our shareholders.”
An 18-person team based in New York and London advises the Carlyle Credit Opportunities Fund, and invests across the capital structure through a combination of secured loans, senior subordinated debt, mezzanine debt, convertible notes and other debt-like instruments, as well as preferred and common equity. The fund benefits from proprietary investment opportunities originating from within Carlyle and the firm’s global resources and operating expertise.
* * * * *
About The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across four business segments: Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions. With $223 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2019, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,775 people in 33 offices across six continents.
About Unifrutti Group
Unifrutti is a global producer, marketer and distributor of high quality fresh fruit. The company plants, harvests, ripens, packages, stores, ships and distributes a wide selection of fruit varieties to over 500 customers in 50 countries. It is one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of bananas, apples, grape, lemons and other fruit products. Unifrutti sources primarily in Chile, the Philippines, South Africa and Europe. Most of the production is coming from owned and managed farms or from partner producers. Unifrutti was founded in 1948 by the Italian De Nadai family (the “Sponsor”) which remains the 100% shareholder of the business.
Media Contacts
UK – Roderick (Rory) MacMillan
The Carlyle Group
Phone: +44 (0) 207 894 1630
Roderick.MacMillan@carlyle.com
US – Christa Zipf
The Carlyle Group
Phone: +1-212-813-4578
Christa.Zipf@carlyle.com
