LIPTON TEAS AND INFUSIONS acquired by CVC
Context
Unilever agreed to sell its global tea business, ekaterra, to CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII. The deal is structured as a full‑control carve‑out, with Unilever retaining its tea operations in India, Nepal, Indonesia, and its 50% stake in the Pepsi‑Lipton ready‑to‑drink tea joint venture and related distribution businesses, while the ekaterra perimeter includes all other tea brands and production assets. The transaction was the result of a competitive, multi‑bidder process advised by Goldman Sachs and Centerview Partners on the sell‑side, with CVC’s offer—prepared with Spayne Lindsay & Co and Citigroup—outperforming competing bids from Carlyle and Advent. By exiting ekaterra, Unilever executes a strategic portfolio reshaping focused on reallocating capital toward higher‑growth, more digitally oriented and premium consumer‑segments, while CVC takes over a platform‑scale tea business, strong brand equity, and a diversified footprint across nearly 80 countries.
LIPTON TEAS AND INFUSIONS, which reported an EBITDA margin of in 2021, is valued in this transaction at an EV/EBITDA multiple of , representing a to the average currently observed in the AgriFood sector (10.7x).
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Target
LIPTON TEAS AND INFUSIONS (formerly EKATERRA) is a global tea company carved out of Unilever and positioned as a leading player in the branded tea and herbal‑infusion segment. The business owns and manages a portfolio of 34 brands, including flagship names such as Lipton, PG Tips, Pukka, T2, and TAZO, across a broad range of tea formats such as black tea, green tea, herbal infusions, and specialty blends. ekaterra operates in almost 80 markets worldwide, with particularly strong positions in high‑growth regions such as Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, which together account for a significant share of its cash flows. The company combines a mass‑market, commodity‑style backbone with premium and purpose‑driven sub‑brands, targeting both everyday consumption and health‑ and wellness‑oriented segments.
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REFERENCES
Valuation range: EV 3b - 100b EUR
Revenue range: 1b - 3b EUR
EBITDA range: 250M - 500M EUR
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Authors: This transaction was contributed by a verified mynth contributor and cross-checked against available transaction documents and official company communications.
Press release: view release
Target: lipton teas and infusions
Acquirer: cvc