A Gunster team led by attorneys Joseph Chase and Ana Paladino recently represented the sellers in connection with the sale of Bush Brothers Provision Company to Heartwood Partners. Other Gunster team members who assisted with the transaction include Matt Scheer, Brad McPherson, Rick Burgess, Stephanie Quiñones, Freddie Brackin, Andrew Stempel, Phil Sliger, Cole Jackson and Mel Stocks. XMS Capital Partners, LLC, a global, independent financial services firm providing M&A, corporate advisory and asset management services, served as financial advisor to Bush Brothers Provision Company. Heartwood Partners was represented by Finn Dixon & Herling LLP.
Founded in 1925, Bush Brothers Provision Company is a fifth generation, family-owned meat packing and distribution company. Bush Brothers offers regular delivery from Miami to Orlando and Naples, and export to the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Its customers include luxury hotels, country clubs, and white tablecloth restaurants in South Florida and the Caribbean. This transaction positions Bush Brothers for increased production capacity and will allow them to better serve customers throughout Florida and beyond.
Tracing its roots back to 1982, Heartwood Partners is a middle-market private equity firm that has successfully invested in over 100 platform and add-on companies across several committed funds and various economic environments.
This sale represents yet another successful transaction for Gunster’s M&A team.
Joseph Chase serves as head of Gunster’s Mergers and Acquisitions sub-practice. He is dedicated to serving as a trusted advisor to business owners, private equity firms, companies in a wide range of industries, and other clients. He represents clients in connection with sales and purchases of businesses and general business and corporate matters. In addition to representing business owners and their companies, Joe also represents private equity firms in connection with purchase and sale transactions and myriad other legal needs.
Ana Paladino is an attorney in the firm’s Corporate practice. She concentrates her practice on mergers and acquisitions, complex business transactions, and general corporate matters such as negotiating fundamental agreements with various stakeholders.
