Building long-term relationships is our greatest asset.
We invest with like-minded partners who not only
build great businesses, but give us a window into further opportunities.
We believe in cultivating lasting relationships with partners who share our commitment to creating value – because it takes great people to grow great companies. Our vision has been shaped by a legacy of more than 200 years of experience, yet with a dynamic spirit of continual reinvention that drives us to embrace new opportunities.
Building long-term relationships is our greatest asset.
We invest with like-minded partners who not only build great businesses, but give us a window into further opportunities.
We believe in cultivating lasting relationships with partners who share our commitment to creating value – because it takes great people to grow great companies. Our vision has been shaped by a legacy of more than 200 years of experience, yet with a dynamic spirit of continual reinvention that drives us to embrace new opportunities.
Conti and 3G share a strong value-creation focus and a desire to maximize the potential of brands and businesses by working in close partnership with the management teams of portfolio companies. Both Conti and 3G also place a strong emphasis on recruiting, developing and retaining top-tier talent to build great companies. Conti became an investment partner of 3G and participated in their investment in Burger King (2010), the acquisition of H.J. Heinz Company (2013), the combination of Tim Hortons and Burger King to form Restaurants Brands International (2014), the combination of H.J. Heinz Company and Kraft Foods Group to form the Kraft Heinz Company (2015), and the investment in Hunter Douglas (2022).
Rabobank, headquartered in the Netherlands, is a leader in financing the global food and agriculture sector, and has provided more than €100 billion in loans to food and agriculture businesses worldwide. In 2009, Conti formed a joint venture with Rabobank to make private equity investments and provide growth capital to companies in the food and agriculture field.
Temasek is a globally diversified investment company headquartered in Singapore. Conti and Temasek share a commitment to developing sustainable long-term value, investing over generations.
Cargill is a global food company whose purpose is to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way. Cargill combines 157 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial, and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Conti’s relationship with Cargill is decades long. In 2022, Conti and Cargill entered into a joint venture to create Wayne-Sanderson Farms, the third largest vertically integrated poultry producer in the U.S.
As one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) provides retirement security to more than 339,000 healthcare workers in Ontario. In 2017, Conti sold a minority stake in Wayne Farms to HOOPP to accelerate strategic growth.
Conti’s relationship with Charoen Pokphand Group (C.P. Group) dates back several decades. In 1981, C.P. Group and Continental Grain created the first animal feed and husbandry joint venture in China. Now known as Conti Chia Tai International, this venture has played a vital role in modernizing China’s agricultural sector. First started in Thailand, C.P. Group is now one of the world’s leading conglomerates. A global leader and innovator in the agriculture and food industries, C.P Group has also expanded to areas such as retail and distribution, telecommunications and media, e-commerce, property development, automotive, finance and insurance, and pharmaceuticals.
Garnett Station Partners (GSP) works with founders, management teams and experienced business owners to build and grow enduring, profitable companies in the restaurant, consumer and franchising sectors. Our partnership reflects shared values: entrepreneurial and collaborative culture, patient capital, and alignment of ownership and incentives for long-term success. Conti has been a partner of GSP since 2013 and further committed to the partnership as an anchor investor in GSP Fund II in 2022.
Irenic Capital Management (ICM) invests in public companies, generally between $1 and $10 billion in market capitalization. It works collaboratively with the leadership of the firms in which it invests to produce improvements in operating and financial performance that create long-term value. Our partnership with Irenic reflects our shared belief that companies should be run with an “owner’s mindset” in which management teams and directors are focused on creating sustainable value. Conti is an anchor investor in Irenic and a founding partner in the firm’s formation.
Monarch Alternative Capital LP is a global opportunistic credit investment firm focused on meeting investor needs through an integrated platform. For over 30 years, Monarch’s team has focused on investing in attractive opportunities across various market segments including corporates, real estate, structured credit, government debt, and special situations. The firm draws on the skills and experience of its employees across its offices in New York and London. Conti and Monarch have maintained a long-standing and collaborative partnership which began in 2008.
BFG Partners is a venture capital firm that seeks partnerships with early-stage consumer product companies whose products do better for people and the planet. BFG aims to work alongside exceptional entrepreneurs to foster sustainable growth and outperformance. Investments range across the consumer sector including categories such as food, beverage, personal care, and beauty. In addition to providing portfolio companies with capital, BFG provides teams with the advice most needed to make critical decisions and maximize opportunities. This advice spans operational strategy, tactical marketing, channel development, organizational design and capital planning. Conti has been a partner of Boulder Food Group since 2014 when they launched their first fund and have since been a partner in Fund II. BFG Partners is based in Boulder, CO.
In 1966, the business that is now known as Seaboard Corporation teamed with Conti to purchase a flour mill in Ecuador. Our relationship with Seaboard now extends to several joint ventures across Latin America and the Caribbean. Over the years, Seaboard has created a network of integrated, service-oriented companies with roots in grain and agricultural products, including Seaboard Foods, a major U.S. pork producer; Seaboard Marine transportation services; and Butterball turkey products.
Cultiba is a Mexico-based holding company focused primarily on the beverages industry. Cultiba has a minority interest in one of Mexico’s largest bottling companies, the exclusive bottler for PepsiCo and proprietary brands with nationwide distribution. Our partnership with Cultiba reflects our shared goals of actively engaging in the value-creation process to drive growth and best-in-class talent infrastructure at all of our portfolio companies. In 2023, Cultiba and Conti, alongside EGI, partnered on the acquisition of Baja Aqua-Farms, the leading vertically integrated Bluefin tuna rancher in Baja California, Mexico.
Equity Group Investments (EGI) is a Chicago-based private investment firm founded by Sam Zell in 1968. EGI focuses on direct private investments across numerous industries. EGI and Conti share many values, including a longer-term approach to investing and the desire to actively partner with management teams in the value creation process. In 2023 the two companies invested alongside Cultiba in Baja Aqua-Farms, the leading vertically integrated Bluefin tuna rancher based in Baja California, Mexico.
Brentwood Associates is an investment firm based in Los Angeles, CA that partners with essential services businesses, focusing on companies with strong customer loyalty and an opportunity for growth. Conti and Brentwood have shared values of long-term partnerships, deep sector expertise, and a desire to invest behind great leadership teams. We partnered with Brentwood on K-Mac, a leading Taco Bell franchisee that was successfully exited in 2016. In 2022, we partnered again to acquire Hissho Sushi, the second-largest franchisor of turnkey sushi solutions in the United States.
ERA Partners LLC is a value-add infrastructure investment firm focused on asset-rich operating businesses delivering essential services in the North American Lower Middle Market. ERA seeks to partner with experienced operators – often in family-owned infrastructure businesses – with a shared vision of scaling their operations and unlocking long-term growth. The firm targets opportunities across sectors such as transportation and logistics, digital infrastructure, environmental services, energy transition and power, and other essential assets. Since 2020, ERA and Conti have partnered with company leadership at Agile Cold Storage, a food warehousing and logistics business.
Our strategy
We strive to be an investor of choice across the global food, agribusiness, and commodity sectors. We do this through our differentiated approach which combines four core tenets:
