Demeter Group

Ventana Vineyards is a recognized producer of premium Chardonnay in Monterey County as well as a grower for respected Central Coast and North Coast brands. In early 2006, the company retained Demeter Group to evaluate its strategic alternatives. Demeter Group's analysis concluded that if the brand was to realize its true potential, the company’s shareholders should explore a sale and that the likely acquirer should have expertise in both viticulture and distribution.

Founded by one of the formulators of PowerBar, GU Sports is a leader in the endurance sports nutrition industry. The company pioneered the energy gels market, of which it currently has a 50% share; and its recent year-over-year growth rate has exceeded 50%. GU Sports initially hired Demeter Group to perform a valuation and strategic analysis of the company. Demeter Group was subsequently retained to secure capital to facilitate the transfer of majority ownership from the company's founder to its CEO and to fund a new product line called Roctane.

Demeter Group advised National Pretzel Holdings, Inc., the nation’s largest producer of private-label pretzels, on its acquisition of Shultz Foods, its largest private-label competitor. National Pretzel Holdings comprises a family of leading regional pretzel businesses, including California Pretzel Co., the largest co-packer and contract manufacturing pretzel supplier on the west coast, and Anderson Bakery Co., the nation’s oldest bakery.

Yes To Carrots is an innovative, high-growth personal care company that markets hair, face and body products that combine antioxidant-rich beta-carotene with nourishing and rejuvenating mud and minerals from the Dead Sea. Founded in Israel in 2005, Yes To Carrots introduced its products in the U.S. in April 2007 through an exclusive national sales agreement with Walgreens.

Since its founding in 1981, Saintsbury has been recognized as a pioneer in developing the reputation of Napa Valley's Carneros appellation for world-class Pinot Noir. In April 2007, Saintsbury retained Demeter Group to evaluate an opportunity to develop a new estate vineyard.

Don Sebastiani & Sons is an international wine négociant focused on incubating and marketing innovative, premium brands, including the popular Smoking Loon. In just seven years, the company has grown to become the 13th largest U.S. wine company with a sales volume of over two million cases.

Rosenblum Cellars was the largest and fastest-growing privately held brand in the super-premium and luxury Zinfandel category and enjoyed a consumer-direct business that was significant for a company of its size. In September 2007, Demeter Group was retained to sell the company.

Pahlmeyer is one of Napa Valley’s iconic wine brands and has a distinguished 20-year history of producing luxury-priced wines with power and personality. The company also benefits from a remarkably strong consumer direct channel. In January 2007, Demeter Group was retained to perform a strategic assessment and ultimately position the company for sale.

Demeter Group advised Nestlé USA, a unit of Nestlé SA, the world’s largest food company, on its sale of the Albers® corn meal and grits brand. Founded more than 100 years ago, Albers is the dominant brand in its category in the western United States with a 64% share of the cornmeal and 59% share of the grits markets. Utilizing its deep understanding of the acquisition rationale of middle market food companies, Demeter Group identified Continental Mills, which owns several leading make-at-home foods brands including Krusteaz, as a logical buyer.

Rx for Brown Skin is the first prestige skincare line that addresses the unique needs of women of Latin, Asian, Indian, African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Native American descent. In 2007, the company required capital to fund an exclusive launch at Sephora and build a world-class management team. Demeter Group developed an international distribution strategy that enabled the company to secure equity capital in August 2007 from Simon Equity Partners, a family office with deep expertise in building consumer brands and global ties to upscale malls.

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Galaxy Desserts is the leading domestic producer of frozen, all natural, individual-portion gourmet dessert and pastries for retail, foodservice and catalog customers, including Safeway, Target, Trader Joe’s and Williams-Sonoma. The company’s products combine handcrafted, artisan taste with a homemade appearance, and are designed to be efficiently produced at high volumes. In August 2007, Demeter Group advised the company on the placement of a non-control equity investment from an institutional investor focused on consumer companies.