Koustas & Co (“Koustas”) has advised long standing client, StrangeLove Drinks (“StrangeLove”) on the sale of its business to Asahi Beverages (“Asahi”) – the Australian subsidiary of global beverage business Asahi Group Holdings which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Established in 2012 – StrangeLove has since created some of the most exciting, interesting and iconic non-alcoholic drinks – drinks with big flavours and great packaging.  Those drinks are now found in many of Australia’s best eateries, wineries, distilleries, hotels, dive bars and premium retailers.

As reported in the The Australian Financial Review – StrangeLove Drinks completed the sale to Asahi late last month resulting in the culmination of a long-planned strategic divestment process.

Director Damien Burke and Corporate Advisory Principal Dylan Davidson led the Koustas team advising on the transaction.

StrangeLove’s Co-founder, James Bruce, commented on the sale:

“The acquisition of our company by Asahi represents an amazing opportunity for StrangeLove to find a wider audience and benefit from the wealth of expertise and knowledge Asahi Beverages bring to the table. Koustas have been an absolutely integral part of our growth over the last several years and were instrumental in helping us navigate the sale process and achieve such an amazing outcome”.

Damien Burke congratulated our clients on the sale: “The acquisition by Asahi recognises StrangeLove’s unique position in Australia. The merged business will be well placed to expand throughout Australia and beyond. This milestone transaction is a great result for our client, who will remain actively involved as leaders in the merged business – as will our firm – contributing to its continued success and growth”.

Dylan Davidson also noted the significance of the cross-border deal in the context of the wider sector: “We are expecting that the trend of increased consolidation of the beverage sector will continue on a global scale, with larger international players acquiring businesses with an established footprint in their respective locations and market niche positions.”

Asahi Group Holdings is the largest brewer in Japan with a head office in Tokyo, 147 subsidiaries globally manufacturing in 95 plants with 31,600 employees.