RFI Ingredients (Orangeburg, NY) has announced a strategic growth partnership with global agrifood investment firm Astanor (France).
The investment positions RFI to accelerate expansion in Europe and Asia-Pacific, strengthen its science-based ingredient portfolio, conduct more clinical research, and pursue strategic acquisitions that strengthen its capabilities for customers across the food, beverage, and dietary supplement markets. All future acquisitions will be integrated under the RFI brand.
During this next phase of expansion, RFI founder and CEO, Jeff Wuagneux, will retain majority ownership and continue to lead the company and its operations. Additionally, its existing team will remain in place, ensuring continuity for customers, suppliers and employees while leveraging Astanor’s expertise to expand internationally and strengthen the company’s position as a global, vertically integrated supplier and manufacturer.
Importantly, this partnership will also enable RFI to expand its sustainability efforts throughout its supply chain and manufacturing, focusing on bigger and broader organic, regenerative, upcycled, ecological and social initiatives.
The investment in RFI is the second one of the Astanor Growth strategy, focused on profitable, category-leading companies delivering measurable impact across the agrifood value chain. The operation was realized alongside two French investors, Aurae and La Maison Partners. Aurae is a Paris-based European impact investment fund that offers deep expertise in regenerative agriculture and natural ingredient supply chains and La Maison Partners brings patient, aligned capital and the cross-border industrial and financial network built by its shareholder families, reinforcing RFI’s ambitions for international expansion.
“For 37 years, we have built RFI Ingredients on a simple conviction: quality starts in the field,” said Wuagneux. “Nutraceutical, functional food, and beverage brands increasingly want a global partner with the scale, science and supply integrity. In Astanor, we found a partner who understands our industry deeply, shares our from field to formula philosophy, and brings the experience to help us grow in Europe and APAC as well as develop science and clinically-backed ingredients.”
“The partnership is the perfect example of what Astanor Growth additivity is in the low mid-market private equity: building trust with founders and management years before any transaction happens and showing that capital flexibility and industry expertise unlock bilateral win-win situations,” added Eric Archambeau, founder and senior managing partner at Astanor. “We are excited to close our second deal, once again proprietary, on this fast growing, though resilient and recession proof dietary supplement industry, with RFI positioned in one of its most attractive segments with the right impact-generating position in the value chain.”
For more information, visit https://rfiingredients.com or https://astanor.com.
