Northborne Partners

Minneapolis, MN – November 20, 2024 – Northborne Partners is pleased to announce that it served as the exclusive financial advisor to Branding Iron Holdings (“Branding Iron”), an industry-leading provider of branded and private label protein products, in connection with its acquisition by Kingswood Capital Management, LP (“Kingswood”). Financial terms were not disclosed.

Branding Iron manufactures a diverse set of protein products for the food service, retail, and chain restaurant channels from its headquarters in Sauget, IL and facilities in Rochester, MN and Sauk Rapids, MN. The Company has a sixty-year legacy as a leading supplier of frozen beef patties, refrigerated beef patties, portioned and bulk products, breaded products, pork products, and other protein products. Andy Touchette has been promoted from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Executive Officer effective as of the Closing.

Paul Jevnick, Managing Director at Northborne, commented, “Branding Iron has built an exceptional reputation in the protein industry through its long-standing commitment to providing the highest quality product and top-tier service to its customers. It has been a privilege working with the owners and the management team, led by Andy Touchette, to find an ideal partner to take the company to the next level. We are delighted to have been involved in this important transaction for Branding Iron and look forward to seeing the business continue to flourish under Kingswood’s ownership.”

“We are proud of what we have built at Branding Iron and are highly confident that customers will continue to enjoy the quality and service they have grown accustomed to, while we seek out ways to improve upon our excellent standards of delivery. We are excited about preserving our tremendous culture and look forward to our future partnership with Kingswood,” said Andy Touchette. Regarding Northborne’s involvement, he added, “The Northborne team was a trusted partner and advisor throughout this process as Branding Iron explored strategic options. Their guidance, based on deep expertise and experience in the food industry, was vital in helping us achieve this excellent outcome.”

Stinson LLP served as legal advisor to Branding Iron.

About Northborne Partners

Northborne Partners is a preeminent middle market investment banking firm focused on providing M&A advisory services to companies in the food & consumer, healthcare and industrials sectors, among others. It specializes in advising private-equity-owned and closely-held businesses on complex sell-side transactions. Northborne Partners is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. For more information, please visit northborne.com.

About Branding Iron Holdings

Branding Iron Holdings is an innovative, customer-centered protein manufacturer with legacy back to 1960 when Red Holten formed Holten Meats. The Company was effectively formed in 2007 when Holten Meats merged with Rochester Meat Company (founded in 1971). Since then, the Company has been committed to providing an innovative and delicious breadth of protein products to satisfy customers’ unique needs and challenges through safe and efficient processes and unrivaled, personable relationships. For more information, please visit https://www.bih-us.com.

About Kingswood Capital Management, LP

Kingswood Capital Management, LP partners with leading companies in the middle market which stand to benefit from its capital and extensive operating resources. Kingswood embraces complexity and believes it is well-positioned to support businesses at inflection points in their development to enhance value. Based in Los Angeles, Kingswood is a cohesive, entrepreneurial team with a long history of shared success developing “win-win” partnerships with its portfolio companies and management teams. For more information, please visit www.kingswood-capital.com.