Bluegem Capital Partners wins AIFI award 2024

Milan, 19 December 2024

Bluegem Capital Partners (“Bluegem”), a specialist pan-European private equity firm focused on non-discretionary consumer staples across the value chain (B2B, B2B2B and B2C), is delighted to announce its win at the 21st edition of the Claudio Dematté Private Equity of the Year® Award in the ESG category for its investments in leading Italian professional haircare group Beautynova and global luxury home fragrances brand Dr. Vranjes Firenze.

The awards, organised by AIFI, together with its partner Intesa Sanpaolo, with the support of EY and in tandem with Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 Ore, SDA Bocconi and Borsa Italiana, celebrate the most impactful private equity and venture capital transactions in Italy. This year, 25 transactions across various categories - including venture capital, debt funds and more - were nominated, with 15 transactions in the Buyout category, where Bluegem was finalist with both Beautynova and Dr. Vranjes. The winners were selected by a distinguished panel led by Innocenzo Cipolletta, Chairman of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE).

Bluegem’s recognition highlights its proven track record of investing in resilient consumer staple sectors, delivering considerable returns while improving the firms’ sustainable operations and footprint. Both Beautynova and Dr. Vranjes have flourished under the Firm’s strategic guidance, experiencing remarkable growth and transformation, solidifying their position as leader in their respective markets and generating a meaningful ESG impact on the firms and all their stakeholders.

The awards ceremony, held at the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia in Milan, highlighted Bluegem's contributions to business growth and success through its private equity investments. This accolade underscores the firm’s commitment to excellence and its ability to create lasting impact in the industries it invests in and on the whole community in general.

Emilio Di Spiezio Sardo, founding partner of Bluegem, commented:

“Beautynova and Dr. Vranjes exemplify our playbook of generating alpha returns from B2B, B2B2C and B2C non-discretionary consumer staple businesses. We partnered with two strong management teams in “real economy” industries with robust fundamentals and tailwinds. We delivered business transformation underpinned by international expansion, digitalisation, buy and build and strategic repositioning. Throughout, we have committed not to compromise on the companies’ sustainability strategies and demonstrated resilience and a consistent ability to perform, even during challenging moments in the economic cycle. Congratulations to the teams and the managements.”

Stefano Banfo, CEO of Beautynova, said:

“Bluegem has been a true partner, supporting our innovative vision and enabling a transformational growth of the business. Over the last four years, the company has evolved to become a global leader and a reference point in the professional haircare industry – included in ESG policies – attracting top talents to drive the expansion into new geographies and channels and the launch of new category-defining products, ultimately building the base for a sustainable long-term growth.”

Paolo Vranjes, Founder and Chairman of Dr. Vranjes Firenze, added:

“Bluegem supported our strategic vision and enabled meaningful growth while honouring the rich heritage of Dr. Vranjes. With their support we have reached remarkable milestones, making Dr. Vranjes Firenze a truly global brand. Improvements in ESG have been significant, including the publication of the first Sustainability report, the refocus of the operations with a shift towards local suppliers and the full implementation of 100% renewable energy across all our sites: this gave us a clear competitive edge with the consumer and we are sure will continue to do so for the future ahead”

About Bluegem Capital Partners

Bluegem is a European specialist private equity firm investing in consumer staple businesses across the value chain (B2B, B2B2C and B2C) underpinned by non-discretionary demand and supported by megatrend tailwinds. The Bluegem Investment Team work alongside experienced Portfolio Management and Functional Experts, to deploy a proven toolkit for accelerating value creation. The Bluegem value acceleration playbook is underpinned by data analytics and includes, among other things, 360-degree digitalisation of the businesses (including the use of artificial intelligence), international expansion and product innovation. With a track record of investing across Europe through different economic cycles, Bluegem focuses on businesses with characteristics of consumable products; low ticket but premium products; non commodity items; with repeat purchase patterns within six distinct segments: Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, Baby Care, Pet Care, Food & Beverage and Health & Wellbeing. For more information, visit Bluegemcp.com.

 

Media contacts

Leonardo Maisano

+44 7908 812 433

Benedetta Barelli

+44 7588 420 273

bluegem@tancredigroup.com

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