As an Alberta-based company in operation for 46 years, Highwood Distillers, is one of the largest independently owned, craft distilleries in Canada. Highwood produces a range of spirits and signature Canadian whiskies, serving customers across Canada, the US, and overseas.
After years of successful growth and market share expansion, the Highwood Distillers shareholders determined the time was right to divest their shareholdings. They came to us ready to sell their business and in search of the right buyer to continue operations with the existing management team.
Our team at Grant Thornton ran a full sell-side process, helping the Highwood Distillers owners to find a buyer that would carry on the tremendous Highwood legacy. Several potential buyers were looking to leverage the selection of brands, national and international distribution, and extensive whisky inventory established over the years—Caldera Distilling was the strongest fit.
Caldera Distilling is a farm-to-bottle distillery, known for producing award-winning hand-crafted whiskies that are distilled, barreled, aged, and bottled, in River John, Nova Scotia. Our team guided shareholders at Highwood through each step of the sales process to Caldera while driving the value of the deal.
Client
Highwood Distillers Ltd.
Transaction type
Divestiture
Services provided
M&A
Sector
Food and beverage
Close date
October, 2021
Our M&A team helped the owners of Grizzly Lodge successfully sell their business, supporting with the entire process from preparing marketing documents and finding the right buyer, to negotiations and bringing the deal to a close.
Two BC-based food and beverage businesses committed to serving their local communities
Many Canadian energy providers are exploring merging their businesses to become stronger and offer customers more competitive services. Before undertaking a merger, there are major financial and societal impacts to consider.
