On May 24, 2017, Swander Pace Capital, a leading private equity firm specializing in investments in consumer product companies, completed the sale of its significant equity stake in Kicking Horse Coffee to the Lavazza Group, that, with this transaction, holds an 80-per-cent interest in the company, which was valued at $215 million. Swander Pace Capital originally acquired the investment in 2012 in partnership with Jefferson Capital and United Natural Foods. Elana Rosenfeld, who founded Kicking Horse Coffee in 1996, will retain a 20-per-cent equity stake and will continue as Chief Executive Officer.
Based out of Invermere, BC, Kicking Horse Coffee is a leading Canadian organic and fair-trade coffee player. The company has distinguished itself over the last several years with remarkable growth in both Canada and the United States.
Swander Pace was represented by Stikeman Elliott LLP with a team that included Peter Castiel, Noordin Nanji, Kim Le, Allison Jaskolka and Jason Paperman (M&A), Frank Mathieu and Philippe Kattan (tax), Gary Clarke and Cheryl Rea (employment & labour), Aiden Talai (pension & benefits), Rachel Hutton and Mistrale Lepage Chouinard (real estate), Ryan Sheahan (intellectual property and regulatory), Jeffrey Brown (regulatory) and Larry Cobb (environmental).
Lavazza Group was represented by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP with a team that included Michael Gans, Michael Elder, Andrew Thompson, Jenny Paramonova, Whitney Robinson (M&A), Holly Reid (employment & labour), Lindsay McLeod (pension & benefits), Paul Stepak (tax), Wendy Mee (regulatory), Thomas Wong (intellectual property) and Rodney Perkins (real estate).