Los Angeles, California – Avante Mezzanine Partners announced today that it has provided unitranche debt and an equity co-investment to support the acquisition of The Global ID Group (“Global ID”) by Inverness Graham Investments. Headquartered in Fairfield, Iowa, Global ID is a family of companies dedicated to the production of safe, ethical, and sustainable food. Global ID companies include Genetic ID, a leader in laboratory testing services for genetically modified organisms with offices in the US and Germany; CERT ID, a leading food safety certification company with offices in the US, Brazil and the UK; and two consulting subsidiaries in the US and UK including Food Chain Global Advisors, the exclusive administrator of the Non-GMO Project, the fastest growing seal in the organic food industry.
“Avante was an excellent partner for Global ID,” said Trey Sykes, Managing Principal of Inverness Graham Investments. “We chose Avante due to their ability to provide a one-stop financing solution and the value they added during the due diligence process. We are thrilled to have them as our partner as we grow the business.”
“This is our third investment with the Inverness Graham team and we couldn’t ask for a better partner,” said Jeri Harman, Founder and Partner of Avante. “We were impressed with the knowledge and resources the Inverness Graham team brought during due diligence and we worked seamlessly with their team to understand the business quickly and deliver a flexible financing solution.”
“We think Global ID has a bright future ahead driven by increased food safety regulations and consumers’ desire to know what’s in their food,” said Ivelisse Simon, Principal of Avante. “We look forward to working with the Inverness Graham team and management as they grow the business.”