Keystone Capital has made an investment in Nature Soy, a supplier of soy and vegetarian food products. Nature Soy co-owners SunFei Ye and YatSun Wen will continue to be shareholders in the company and will be active in the day-to-day operations and management of the business.
Nature Soy’s products include both traditional and specialty tofu, soy milk, rice noodles and soy puffs, all of which can be found in major Asian grocery stores, supermarkets and natural food stores, as well as restaurants. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Philadelphia (www.naturesoy.com).
“We are excited to partner with the Nature Soy team to continue building on their tradition of excellence in the soy foods market,” said Chaoran Jin, a principal at Keystone Capital, “With management’s continued leadership and our operational and financial support, we will achieve our collective vision of developing Nature Soy into a leading national supplier of soy products and other authentic ethnic foods through organic expansion and targeted acquisitions.”
“We have been actively seeking the right partner to help us take Nature Soy to the next level, and Keystone’s commitment to our management team and employees, experience in the food industry, and financial support for growth initiatives makes them an ideal partner for Nature Soy,” said SunFei Ye.
Keystone Capital invests in middle market companies with EBITDAs of $3 million to $15 million that are market leaders in niche, mature industries. Sectors of interest include manufacturing, industrial technology, food products and packaging, healthcare products and services, and business and professional services. Keystone manages in excess of $300 million in investment capital and is based in Chicago (www.keystonecapital.com).
Senior debt financing was provided by Wintrust Bank (www.wintrustbank.com). Keystone was advised by Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn (www.honigman.com). Baker Tilly Capital (www.bakertilly.com) advised Nature Soy in connection with this transaction.
© 2016 Private Equity Professional • 6-15-16
