Hi Andre! Congratulations again on your deal with ARCUS Capital. How have the first months with the new investor been?
Thanks, you also made a significant contribution to this! After the first few months, the transaction can already be considered the right step at the right time. The cooperation with ARCUS is going exactly as we imagined. We benefit immensely from their expertise and experience and are therefore convinced that we have chosen the right partner for our future growth.
After the company was founded in 2018, the “Bitterliebe” brand very quickly established itself on the market. What were the key success factors for this development?
First and foremost, an outstanding product and enormous expertise in online marketing. Due to the rapid growth in online sales channels, we were also able to quickly convince large drugstore chains of our products. As a result, “Bitterliebe” products are not only regular bestsellers on Amazon and present in teleshopping but are now also available in over 4,000 retail stores. This omni-channel approach has enabled us to build a very fast-growing and, above all, profitable company within a very short time frame.
When and how did the idea for founding the company actually come about?
My co-founder Jan and I met through our then girlfriends and now wives, as the two are sisters. Our mother-in-law is an alternative practitioner and has always sworn by bitter substances, especially as a natural treatment for gastrointestinal complaints. That is how we became aware of bitter substances and their effect and shortly afterwards founded the company as well as the brand “Bitterliebe”.
What were the reasons for you to bring another investor on board after these successful years?
The company has grown very rapidly in the two and a half years following its foundation. However, at a certain point we realized that it was time to bring a new partner on board in order to achieve the next growth steps via the extension of the product portfolio and expansion abroad. As a result, the shareholders decided to initiate this process.
Why did you choose ox8 Corporate Finance as your M&A advisor? How do you assess the collaboration?
First of all, we obtained various recommendations for suitable M&A advisors through our network. After making an initial shortlist, we had several of them pitch to us, and the ox8 Corporate Finance team immediately convinced us with their expertise and sympathy. The subsequent cooperation during the actual process was also excellent. We could rely on the team at any time and felt in very good hands. The advisory quality as well as the constant accessibility during the transaction were outstanding. Even since the closing of the transaction, we continue to be in regular contact. Therefore, we can highly recommend working with them.
M&A processes are usually very intense for founders. How did you feel about the process?
It was indeed a very intense and stressful time. In addition to the usual day-to-day business, covering all the additional tasks that such a process requires was really a big challenge for us. Without the help of the ox8 Corporate Finance team, who supported us enormously through the very structured execution of the process and permanent availability, this would not have been possible. Nevertheless, it was also an extremely exciting experience at the same time. Especially in the last days and hours prior to the notary appointment, the emotional strain gave more and more way to joy.
What are the current challenges and your plans for the future?
We intend to continue implementing our growth strategy across all distribution channels. We recently launched our mild drops, a non-alcoholic variant of the well-known “Bitterliebe” drops, as well as further tea varieties. We also have a number of other products in the pipeline, which we are very excited about. In addition, we are in the planning stages for our expansion abroad. We are looking forward to the upcoming challenges and continue to pursue the goal of developing “Bitterliebe” into one of the world’s most recognized brands for supplements.
