Shearman & Sterling advised EMZ Partners (EMZ) on the financing of the acquisition of a stake in Ankerkraut GmbH (Ankerkraut), a German spice manufacturer. In addition to EMZ, the Management team of Ankerkraut also becomes a shareholder. The founding family Lemcke remains majority owner of the business and the incumbent minority shareholders Freigeist Capital and Knälmann Ventures stay on board.

Ankerkraut was founded in 2013 and has since become the “Love Brand“ and #1 Challenger in the German spice market. Headquartered in Jesteburg it operates offices and production facilities in Hamburg. The Company develops, produces and sells premium spice mixes, mono-spices, teas, advent calendars, gift sets and plans to expand into sauces in the near future.

EMZ is a leading European investment firm that acts as a partner for medium-sized companies. Its activities focus on investments alongside founders, family shareholders and managers. EMZ is majority-owned by its own employees and has a base of European institutional investors. The current fund has a volume of more than 1.0 billion euros and its investment size ranges from 10 to 150 million euros.

The Team