Suja Life, a Paine Schwartz Partners Portfolio Company, Acquires Vive Organic
Suja Life, LLC, a Paine Schwartz Partners portfolio company and the California-based manufacturer of cold-pressed organic juices and juice shots, today announced its acquisition of Vive Organic, a brand of immunity-supporting juice shots created by holistic medical professionals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2015, Vive Organic is the pioneer in cold-pressed and plant-powered 2oz ready-to-drink wellness shots made from organic and sustainably sourced super-herbs. Its employees work alongside a team of holistic medicine doctors that helps identify the highest quality functional ingredients from around the globe and craft them into concentrated shots consumers can trust. Vive Organic’s beverages are organic, non-GMO, gluten-free and vegan and offered in thousands of blue-chip retailers across the United States, such as Whole Foods, Target, Kroger and Albertsons, along with being offered online through Amazon.
Vive Organic’s offerings complement Suja’s portfolio with a focus on doctor-crafted juice shot blends that support the immune system. As a unified portfolio, both brands will benefit from improved operational capabilities, enhanced marketing and sales efforts, extended innovation reach and benefits of scale. The Vive Organic team, including Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Wyatt Taubman, will partner with Suja’s leadership to maintain the brand’s successful momentum in the market.
“Ten years ago, Suja set out with a vision to make organic fresh-pressed juices available to everyone. The addition of Vive Organic strengthens our offerings and accelerates our mission to build one of the foremost healthy beverage platforms in the world,” said Bob DeBorde, CEO of Suja. “We have a shared focus on prioritizing sustainable, ethical extraction and production processes, as well as a similar purpose of helping consumers take charge of their wellness journeys. We are excited about building on each company’s momentum and, together, we will innovate the next generation of wellness offerings.”
Mr. Taubman added, “Every member of the Vive Organic team works tirelessly to inspire more people to start their own holistic wellness journey. In just five years, our team has built the fastest-growing juice shot company in the country. Becoming part of Suja will not only accelerate our efforts and enable us to grow the combined business to even higher heights but also further amplify our mission with a broader group of consumers.”
“Suja has made substantial progress executing its growth strategies since our initial investment, and the addition of Vive Organic is an important next step in the Company’s evolution,” said Kevin Schwartz, CEO of Paine Schwartz. “We continue to believe in the significant value creation opportunities in the better-for-you space and with this transaction, Suja is even better positioned to capture them. We look forward to supporting the Company in this next phase of growth as it expands its product offerings, widens its distribution and brings Suja and Vive Organic to even more consumers.”
Evercore served as financial advisor to Paine Schwartz Partners and Kirkland & Ellis served as its legal advisor.