Clearwater International advises J.F. Hillebrand on the financing of its acquisition facility to support the acquisition of Braid

Clearwater International has advised J.F. Hillebrand Group AG (“Hillebrand”) on the structuring and arrangement of an acquisition bridge facility provided by DZ Bank, Helaba and LBBW to support the acquisition of Braid Group, a key player in bulk liquid logistics with captive flexitank manufacturing capacities.

The acquisition financing process was accompanied by an amendment and increase of the existing credit facility to support the acquisition and to provide Hillebrand with additional operative headroom. Clearwater International advised on the amend and increase process with the bank syndicate and coordinated the synchronization of both parallel processes.

With this acquisition, Hillebrand will strengthen its position as a leading global logistics service provider not only for alcoholic beverages but also for other non-hazardous bulk liquids commodities. Moreover, the acquisition will provide a broader diversification in the geographical, customer and product portfolio, and increase Hillebrand’s exposure to the resilient high growth market segment of bulk liquid logistics.

Hillebrand is the leading global player in the alcoholic beverage freight forwarding industry, operating primarily via ocean transport. Fully specialized, the company has an active presence in all major wine and spirits producing areas. Headquartered in Mainz, Germany, Hillebrand employs 2,500 people, and is present in 90 countries around the world.