1. Defensible – The company must be easy to understand and have limited competition
2. Brand – The company should preferably have a strong brand which enables it to make good returns (operating profit margin >15%)
3. Mature and Profitable – minimum annual profit > R10million (sales > R30million) and a track record of over 10 years
C2C looks for companies with competent and honest managers and investment is currently focused on businesses which operate in the consumer products (“FMCG”) sector (foods, personal care and homecare products). C2C prefer to acquire at least 80% of a company with management retaining the balance.”
Ascendis Health
Ascendis Health is Coast2Coast’s health and beauty company, holding the following health and beauty subsidiary companies, some of which have been in operation for over 25 years:
- Comed Health
- Reviva Technology
- Efekto
- Sportron International
- Regal Nutrients
Ascendis Health has a staff complement of approximately 300 employees and is headed by Dr Karsten Wellner (CEO). Karsten and his executive team have over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical and consumer products (FMCG) industries.
Avima
Avima, which started in 1961, produces a comprehensive range of crop protection, public health and stored grain protection pesticides.
The company’s manufacturing plant located in Johannesburg, produces 70% of its own products being concentrates, liquid, powders, seed dressings, pelleted baits, aerosols and specialized tailor-made formulations.
Avima is not only a supplier of insecticides, but brings many years of in-field technical and operational experience to planning, setting up and supporting the implementation of sustainable spraying (vector control) programs in Africa control of malaria and tsetse fly.
Avima has more than 70 registrations and over 200 product lines, into over 30 African countries and is constantly expanding the product range supported by an innovative product development program
Avima has trade relationships with several formulation companies in the region and is recognized as a reputable supplier of technical active ingredients. Avima has created toll-manufacturing opportunities and secured exclusive distribution rights for various speciality products.
Avima is also a major supplier to Efekto Care and provides Efekto with the majority of its chemical products in bulk form to be repackaged in small packs at Efekto.
CONTACT DETAILS
Tel: (012) 769 1300
Fax: (012) 762 5712
Physical Address:
18 Aschenberg Street
Chamdor
West Rand
JHB
South Africa
Efekto
Efekto has been helping gardeners to create healthy and balanced gardens for 35 years selling nearly 400 products under its own Efekto and Wonder brands.
The Efekto brand is focused on prevention products and the Wonder brand is focused on the nutritional products.
The company’s range of fertilisers, insecticides, herbicides and fungicides adhere stringently to government safety regulations, and this, combined with the broad spectrum of products offered and proven reliability over the decades, has ensured a dominant retail market share in South Africa in respect of both brands.
Efekto also continuously seeks new benefits in pest control and plant care through ongoing research and development.
The company, in which the management team holds a significant equity stake, has 60 staff and is led by CEO Arthur Barnett and Director Theunis Ebersohn, who has been in the business nearly 30 years.
CONTACT DETAILS:
Tel: 011 304 7200 / 0861-333-586 (0861 EFEKTO)
Fax: 011 234-3028
Email: info@efekto.co.za
www.efekto.co.za
Reviva Technology
Reviva Technology is a branded footwear distribution company which focuses on new and innovative technology. Its signature brand is FitFlop – a fashionable sandal that helps to tone legs by using a unique “microwobble” technology. The essence of the Reviva culture is that value is created by innovative ideas and talented people. Reviva’s second brand, Native, will be launched in South Africa in 2012. The company is situated in Cape Town and is managed by Paul Hancock, a chartered accountant, and Shelley Carmichael who has over 10 years experience in the footwear industry.
CONTACT DETAILS
Unit B21 Northgate Business Park
Brooklyn, Cape Town, South Africa 7405
Tel: +27 21 510 4428
Fax: +27 21 511 5220
Email: shelley@reviva.co.za or paul@coast2coast.co.za
Regal Nutrients
Regal Nutrients owns the FoodState® brand and distributes its brands via the South African retail market, such as Dischem and Clicks. The company outsources warehousing and distribution, and uses various contract manufacturers.
Cornelle Van Graan (CEO) heads up both Sportron and Regal, and there is significant shared resources and crossover of the executive management teams to improve efficiencies and costs savings. As with Sportron, key members of management have an equity stake in Regal, with Ascendis holding the controlling interest.
Regal Nutrients took over the marketing and distribution of the “Dr Reckeweg” range of products in South Africa in May 2008. “Dr Reckeweg” is one of the world’s largest homeopathic range of products produced since 1947 and produces some of the safest, most reliable and researched homoeopathic medicines in the world.
FoodState® nutrients are vitamins and minerals bonded in a food matrix, without the water and the fibre, hence these nutrients are essentially foods and are recognised by the body as such resumting in better bio-availibility (absorption).
www.foodstate.co.za
www.reckeweg.co.za
Contact Details:
2 Eaton Avenue, Bryanston, Sandton:
t. 011 317 8550 | f. 011 317 8553
e. info@foodstate.co.za
Sportron
Sportron is a direct selling business that was founded in 1992 by Dr. Alan Tomlinson and Keith Harding. Sportron aims to remain at the leading edge of technology and produce the best nutraceutical and beauty products available anywhere in the world. In line with this, Sportron has an exclusive license from the patent holder of FoodState®, imports the Foodstate nutrients and herbal concentrates for local manufacture according to specialised product formulae, to form a dynamic combination with positive results.
Sportron also offers an opportunity for product users to develop their own businesses. Equipped with the most generous compensation plan in the network marketing industry, many Sportron business partners are realising their dreams of financial independence. With other added benefits such as world travel and personal growth, Sportron is committed to creating a better lifestyle for all.
Ascendis acquired a controlling stake in Sportron in mid 2011.
The company has a staff complement of 60 people and is managed by Cornelle Van Graan (CEO). The founder and executive chairman, Dr Alan Tomlinson, and key management members, have retained a significant equity stake in the company and continue to manage the business.
Contact Details:
2 Eaton Avenue, Bryanston, Sandton
t. 011 317 8550 | f. 011 317 8553
e. info@sportron.co.za
Allganix
Allganix Foods is the first and only producer of organically certified baby foods in South Africa, via its signature brand, the Olli Organic Baby Food range. The company is based in Somerset West and currently distributes its products through most leading supermarkets. Allganix was founded in July 2006 and is managed by CEO, Chris Beart, who led a management buyout of the company from Coast2Coast in 2009.
Blueberry - BVI (Zim Assets)
In 2007 the assets that Gary Shayne had accumulated in Zimbabwe were sold to Lonzim (Lonrho’s Zimbabwe investment vehicle). These assets (being a 60% stake in listed telecoms company Celsys and 100% of chemicals company Milpal) were owned by Blueberry a company registered in the BVI which was acquired in 2 parts (80% plus 20%) for approximately US$7.5m.
St Pie
St Pie started nearly 20 years ago from a small café and today operates from a ‘state of the art’ pie plant in Lydenburg. It manufactures and distributes up to 1million pies per month with 19 frozen pie variants to its growing database of over 1000 retailers who bake the pies and sell them to the public. The company has 130 employees and has its own distribution network centered on a specialised refrigerated fleet with 3 regional depots in Pretoria, Welkom and Pietermaritzburg. The St Pie product has long been seen as a premium product with significantly more filling than other competitors.
Coast2Coast held 100% of St Pie which it sold to a consortium of Kwande, Lesotho Milling and Acorn Private Equity in mid 2011.
Comed Health
Comed Health is the complementary and alternative medicines (“CAMs”) operating company within Ascendis, and began when the business of Natura was acquired by Comed in early 2009.Natura is 45 years old and is the number one brand in homeopathy and herbal medicine in South Africa. Natura products can be found in every pharmacy retailer in South Africa (in over 2000 stores). It offers evidence-based products manufactured at its state-of-the-art CAMs production facility in Waltloo, Pretoria, according to highest quality standards. With a staff of 170 people, Natura has two divisions servicing both the retail and the professional homeopath markets.
Ascendis held 50% of Comed that was sold in early 2012 to existing partners.