JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shoreline Equity Partners, LLC (“Shoreline”), a purpose-driven lower middle market private equity firm, has partnered with Prime Meats, LLC (“Prime Meats” or the “Company”). Headquartered in Duluth, GA, Prime Meats is a leading value-added protein processor and distributor offering beef, poultry, pork, dairy, seafood, and specialty products to independent restaurants, grocery stores, and butcher shops, with a focus on Hispanic and traditional markets across 15 states.
Since being founded by Norberto Sanchez in 1992, Prime Meats has grown to over 250 employees serving more than 4,200 customers and has become a go-to provider of high-quality protein and related products to the Hispanic foodservice and retail markets. Prime Meats continues to grow rapidly through various organic initiatives and will also be seeking strategic acquisition opportunities across the country. Norberto Sanchez and the Prime Meats management team will continue to lead the Company and maintain a meaningful ownership position moving forward in partnership with Shoreline.
Mike Hand, Managing Partner at Shoreline, said, “Norberto, Daniel, and the rest of the Prime Meats team have built a phenomenal business, and we are so grateful they selected Shoreline as their partner. We knew from our first conversation with the team that Prime Meats would be a great fit for Shoreline given the Company’s impressive track record of growth and our experience in food distribution.”
Ian Garland, Principal at Shoreline, said, “Prime Meats has built an exceptional reputation for providing quality protein to the Hispanic community across the Southeast U.S. We are excited to partner with the Prime Meats team to execute on a multi-faceted growth plan which includes both organic initiatives and add-on acquisitions.”
Norberto Sanchez, Founder and Chairman at Prime Meats, said, “We are incredibly excited to partner with Shoreline. For over 30 years, Prime Meats has been providing the highest quality service and product to our customers, and we are committed to providing the same high-touch service and best-in-class product offering. The future is very bright for Prime Meats in our new partnership with Shoreline.”
Daniel Arcila, CEO at Prime Meats, said, “Shoreline’s knowledge and experience in food distribution is second to none and will allow us to meaningfully expand our operations and footprint across the U.S. Shoreline shares our vision for the exciting future of Prime Meats, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to partner with their team.”
The transaction for Shoreline was led by Mike Hand, Managing Partner; Ian Garland, Principal; Mike Mancini, Senior Associate; and Michael Berry, Associate. Senior financing for the transaction was provided by NXT Capital. Deloitte Corporate Finance served as the exclusive financial advisor to Prime Meats in the transaction.
About Prime Meats
Headquartered in Duluth, GA, Prime Meats is a leading value-added protein processor and distributor. The Company serves a highly diversified base of foodservice and retail customers and has deep ties to the Hispanic community. Prime Meats has successfully positioned itself as the preeminent Hispanic-focused protein processor and distributor in the Southeast U.S. For more information, please visit www.primemeats.com.
About Shoreline
Shoreline is a lower middle market private equity firm focused on actively partnering with leading management teams. Shoreline follows a total stakeholder model, meaning success should be a “win-win” proposition for shareholders, employees, customers, vendors, and the communities within which the firm’s companies operate. Shoreline professionals believe in honesty, incentive alignment, and creating bigger, better businesses without relying on financial engineering or cost cutting to generate returns. With over $750 million of committed capital under management, Shoreline seeks to lead equity investments of up to $150 million per transaction in support of buyouts, recapitalizations, and corporate divestitures. Targeted businesses have enterprise values ranging from $50 million to $350 million and EBITDA of $5 million to $25 million. The firm strives to partner with management teams of businesses primarily within the specialized manufacturing, value-added distribution, and business and facility services sectors, among others. For more information, please visit www.shorelineequitypartners.com.
