L Catterton Receives 2019 Operational Excellence Award from Private Equity International for Operating Value Creation at Zarbee's Naturals

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Oct 01, 2019, 09:00 ET

GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- L Catterton, the largest and most global consumer-focused private equity firm, is honored to have been awarded Private Equity International's (PEI) 2019 Operational Excellence Award in connection with its investment in Zarbee's Naturals. This is L Catterton's third time receiving the Operational Excellence Award from PEI, after winning in 2018 for Ainsworth Pet Nutrition and in 2014 for Restoration Hardware.

As described by PEI, these awards honor the GPs that have done the most to transform portfolio companies, celebrating the industry's best value-creation stories across all sectors that show how fund managers deliver operational value and expertise as owners. A group of judges comprised of some of the leading scholars and operational experts in the private equity industry assessed the merits of each submission across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

Together with L Catterton, Zarbee's Naturals experienced dramatic growth by building on its foundation in honey-based children's cough syrup to establish itself as a leading, trusted health and wellness over-the-counter brand with a broad portfolio of natural, better-for-you products for the entire family. Over the course of L Catterton's seven-year partnership, Zarbee's Naturals achieved roughly 15-fold organic revenue growth. In 2018, L Catterton sold Zarbee's to Johnson & Johnson.

"We are honored to be recognized by PEI for our long-term partnership with Zarbee's," said Scott Dahnke, Global Co-CEO of L Catterton. "When we initially invested in 2011, we saw a great opportunity for Zarbee's to build a new consumer category by becoming the leading, trusted, natural health & wellness OTC brand. By closely collaborating with management, we were able to help Zarbee's accelerate growth while staying true to its natural, wholesome roots, which ultimately resulted in a successful transaction with Johnson & Johnson."

"At L Catterton, we take a true partnership approach to working with our portfolio companies," said Michael Chu, Global Co-CEO of L Catterton. "Awards such as these acknowledge our commitment to partnering with exceptional innovators and leaders to build enduring consumer brands and enterprises."

About L Catterton

With approximately $20 billion of equity capital across seven fund strategies in 17 offices globally, L Catterton is the largest consumer-focused private equity firm in the world. L Catterton's team of more than 180 investment and operating professionals partners with management teams around the world to implement strategic plans to foster growth, leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad thought partnership network. Since 1989, the firm has made over 200 investments in leading consumer brands. L Catterton was formed through the partnership of Catterton, LVMH and Groupe Arnault. For more information about L Catterton, please visit www.lcatterton.com.

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SOURCE L Catterton