Food and Beverage
The food and beverage sector, which operates within Houlihan Lokey’s Consumer Group, has earned a reputation for providing superior service and achieving outstanding results in M&A advisory, capital-raising, restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services. In 2024, our team was ranked as the No. 1 M&A advisor for all U.S. food and beverage transactions and all U.S. consumer transactions by LSEG (formerly Refinitiv).
| Advisor | Deals |
|---|---|
| Houlihan Lokey | 26 |
| William Blair | 20 |
| Jefferies | 19 |
| Generational Equity | 17 |
| Lincoln International | 17 |
Subsectors
How We Can Help
Our firm is extremely well equipped to help our clients navigate uncertainty and capitalize on opportunity. We respond quickly to challenging situations and are constantly helping clients analyze, structure, negotiate, and execute the best possible solutions from both strategic and financial perspectives.
Corporate Finance
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Capital Markets
- Private Funds Advisory
- Board Advisory Services
Financial Restructuring
- Company Advisory
- Creditor Advisory
Financial and Valuation Advisory
- Portfolio Valuation and Fund Advisory
- Transaction Opinions
- Corporate Valuation Advisory Services
- Transaction Advisory Services
- Real Estate Valuation and Advisory
- Dispute Resolution Consulting
Contact Us
Selected Transactions
Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Trü Frü LLC (Trü Frü) has been acquired by Mars, Inc. (Mars). This deal closed February 1, 2023.
Trü Frü is a high-growth, better-for-you, whole-fruit snacking brand. The brand’s innovative, high-quality, and unique snacks are made from real fruit and immersed in premium chocolate. The snacks are available in both a frozen and shelf-stable format across the U.S. The brand has demonstrated strong consumer appeal, and its total sales have increased by more than fivefold since 2017. Trü Frü was founded in 2017 by its management team, Chief Executive Officer Brian Neville, President Taz Murray, and Chief Operating Officer Brandon O’Brien. Trü Frü is headquartered in West Valley City, Utah, and has approximately 50 employees.
For more than a century, Mars has been driven by the belief that the world the company wants tomorrow starts with how Mars does business today. This common purpose unites the company’s 140,000+ associates. It is at the center of who Mars is as a global, family-owned business, and it fuels how Mars is transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world. Every year, the company’s diverse and expanding portfolio of quality confectionery, food, and pet care products and services delights millions of people and supports millions of pets. With almost $45 billion in annual sales, Mars produces some of the world's best-loved brands, including Ben's Original™, CESAR®, CocoaVia®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, KIND®, M&M's®, SNICKERS®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, and WHISKAS®. Mars is creating a better world for pets through nutrition, breakthrough programs in diagnostics, wearable health monitoring, DNA testing, pet welfare, and comprehensive veterinary care with AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus, and VCA™.
Houlihan Lokey acted as sellside adviser to Trü Frü on this deal, which represents another successful transaction for Houlihan Lokey in the food and beverage industry.
