Houlihan Lokey Advises Silva International

Houlihan Lokey's Consumer, Food & Retail Group is pleased to announce that Silva International (Silva) has been acquired by Universal Corporation (Universal). The transaction closed on October 1, 2020.

This deal represents another successful transaction for Houlihan Lokey in the food and beverage industry.

Founded in 1979, Silva procures more than 60 types of dehydrated vegetables, fruits, and herbs from more than 20 countries around the world. In addition to sourcing, the company specializes in processing natural raw materials into custom-designed dehydrated vegetable- and fruit-based ingredients for a variety of end products. Headquartered in Momence, Illinois, Silva employs more than 200 people and has a 380,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.

Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV), headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, sources, processes, and supplies agri-products. Tobacco has been its principal focus since its founding in 1918, and it is the leading global leaf tobacco supplier. Universal conducts business in more than 30 countries on five continents. Its revenues for the fiscal year, ended March 31, 2020, were $1.9 billion. Following the close of the transaction, Silva will operate as part of Universal's plant-based-ingredients platform, which includes FruitSmart, Inc. (FruitSmart) and Carolina Innovative Food Ingredients, Inc. (CIFI).