The coconut water craze is coming to China.
椰汁热即将席卷中国。
Vita Coco, the biggest seller of coconut water in the United States, agreed on Monday to sell a 25 percent stake in itself to the owner of Red Bull China for about $166 million.
美国最大的椰汁销售商Vita Coco周一宣布达成协议,以1.66亿美元左右(约合10亿元人民币)的价格,把25%的股权出售给红牛中国的所有方。
The deal, which values All Market, the parent company of Vita Coco, at about $665 million, is an important milestone for the coconut water market. Once seen as a passing fad, coconut water continues to gain in popularity around the world as soda sales weaken.
根据这一价格推算,Vita Coco的母公司All Market的估值约为6.65亿美元。这笔交易对椰汁市场来说是一个重要的里程碑。椰汁曾被看作是明日黄花,如今,随着苏打水的销量日趋疲软,它在世界各地的人气正不断增长。
Coca-Cola owns the second-largest coconut water brand, Zico. But Vita Coco has emerged as the industry leader, and will now be available in the world’s most populous country for the first time.
可口可乐公司(Coca-Cola)拥有第二大椰汁品牌Zico。不过,Vita Coco已崛起为椰汁行业的领军者,而且现在,它将首次进入世界人口第一大国的市场。
Vita Coco was founded in 2004 by Michael Kirban and his friend Ira Liran. Since then, Vita Coco has established a sophisticated supply chain throughout the tropics, allowing it to efficiently harvest, process and package coconuts. The co-founders continue to own significant stakes, along with Verlinvest, a Belgian private equity firm.
Vita Coco于2004年由迈克尔·基尔班(Michael Kirban)和友人伊拉·里兰(Ira Liran)共同创立。此后,Vita Coco在广大的热带地区建立了先进的供应链,因此能够高效地采摘、加工椰子并包装产品。两位创始人和比利时的私募公司Verlinvest将继续持有大量股份。
Celebrities including Madonna and Matthew McConaughey also own small stakes. The deal will allow some early employees and investors to cash in on the soaring value of the brand by selling shares to the Reignwood Group, the parent company of Red Bull China.
还有一些名人在该公司持有少量股份,比如麦当娜(Madonna)和马修·麦康纳(Matthew McConaughey)。本次交易使公司的早期雇员和投资者可以把股份出售给红牛中国的母公司华彬集团,从而利用品牌价值的急剧飙升获利。
“Vita Coco’s growth in the U.S. has been well documented, less so the brand’s exponential growth in Europe and more recently, Japan,” Mr. Kirban, who is chief executive, said in a statement. “We expect China to follow suit.”
“Vita Coco在美国的增长得到了广泛报道,没有那么广为人知的是,它在欧洲以及最近在日本也取得了几何级数增长,”首席执行官基尔班在声明中称。“我们希望,在中国会出现同样的增长态势。”
Vita Coco has found a powerful ally in Red Bull China.
Vita Coco的合作伙伴红牛中国颇为强大。
Red Bull China is a separate company from Red Bull, the Austrian company behind the popular energy drink. Red Bull China acquired the rights to sell Red Bull products to Chinese consumers in the early 1990s. It has increased sales of the energy drink there to more than $2.5 billion a year with a robust marketing and distribution operation.
红牛中国和红牛(Red Bull)是两家独立的企业,后者是这款畅销功能饮料背后的奥地利公司。红牛中国于上世纪90年代初获得了在中国销售红牛产品的代理权。凭借着强劲的营销和分销网络,红牛中国将这款功能饮料的年销售额提高到了逾25亿美元。
Recently, Red Bull China went looking for other brands it could sell alongside its staple energy drink. Chanchai Ruayrungruang, chairman and founder of Reignwood Group, wanted to secure an equity stake in Vita Coco, believing the value of the company would continue to rise over time.
最近,除了这款主打的功能饮料之外,红牛中国开始寻找其他可以销售的品牌。由于看好Vita Coco未来的增长前景,华彬集团的董事长及创始人严彬(Chanchai Ruayrungruang)决定收购其股权。
“We immediately recognized the potential for the Vita Coco brand in China,” Mr. Ruayrungruang said in a statement. “We are confident health-minded Chinese consumers will quickly embrace and remain loyal to the Vita Coco brand.”
“我们快速认识到了Vita Coco品牌在中国的潜力,”严彬在声明中称。“我们相信,注重健康的中国消费者会迅速接纳并长期忠诚于Vita Coco品牌。”
Barclays advised Vita Coco, and the Giannuzzi Group provided legal advice.
为Vita Coco提供咨询服务的是巴克莱(Barclays),提供法律顾问服务的则为Giannuzzi律师事务所。