Private equity firm buys Spanish pink gin brand

Global private equity firm H.I.G Capital has acquired a majority stake in Puerto de Indias Group, Spain’s leading pink gin brand based in Seville.

With its investment, H.I.G Capital hopes to support the growth of the Spanish gin brand and increase its exposure to international markets. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Based in Seville and founded by Jose Antonio and Francisco Rodriguez Fernandez, Puerto de Indias has developed an international expansion plan with a focus on developing a commercial network within Europe, the US and Latin America.

Leopoldo Reaño, principal at H.I.G. Europe, commented: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support the management team led by Jose Antonio and Francisco with its ambitious international expansion plan.

“We are confident that the combination of their market vision with our resources and strong international presence will be the cornerstone of a new sustainable growth phase for the company, which will allow Puerto de Indias to become a leading global player in the international spirits market”.

José Antonio Rodríguez, co-founder of Puerto de Indias Group, added: “This transaction will allow Puerto de Indias to have at its disposal the necessary resources to expand into the international market and complement our company’s capabilities to meet the challenges ahead.

“The shareholders and employees of Puerto de Indias are very enthusiastic about embarking on this new phase in partnership with H.I.G”.

Puerto de Indias produces three gins: Strawberry, Pure Black Edition and the recently re-launched Classic.

The distillery, which dates back to 1880, also produces Los Hermanos anis liqueur and Triunfo orange liqueur.

H.I.G is based in Miami with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. It has over US$20 billion of equity capital under management and has over 100 companies within its portfolio.

The pink gin market in the UK has also witnessed a number of developments in recent months. Gin giant Gordon’s launched a pink gin in the UK last year, while Beefeater released a strawberry-infused sip this month. Long-standing pink gin player Pinkster also unveiled its 3 litre bag-in-box Pinkster on Tap this week.