3 minute read
RMB Corvest and Umoya Capital Partners invest in the pharma industry
A private equity consortium, comprising RMB Corvest and Umoya Capital Partners alongside management and Calibre Capital, have recently invested in Brunel Laboratoria. The deal broadens Brunel’s BEE empowerment, while extending RMB Corvest’s portfolio in the fast-growing healthcare sector.
Brunel is a pharmaceutical brand owner and distributor, with a portfolio of products spanning scheduled and complementary medicines, health supplements and dispensary consumables segments. The business has been operating in South Africa for over 40 years and has a well-established consumer base.
Based in Gauteng, the company has a broad product portfolio and is proud to assist customers in helping consumers to “live well with Brunel”. Its brands include Mist Alba, Famucaps, B.Co, Multivit, Elev8 and Hot Toddy, among a range of others. Hot Toddy is a natural alternative brand that competes with major household names in its category. The Hot Toddy range houses everything to treat the symptoms of colds and flu the natural way.
RMB Corvest was attracted by Brunel’s brands and distribution capabilities, which provide barriers to entry and a leading position in a growing market. The business is led by an impressive management team, as demonstrated by its four decades of success.
“The business has a strong track record in its chosen markets with several tangible growth opportunities that we believe the new shareholders will help unlock,” says Geoff Wilmot of RMB Corvest.
A consumer-focused business
As a pharmaceutical brand owner, which owns all the respective product intellectual property associated with its brands, innovation within Brunel revolves primarily around further developing existing products and in developing new products and new markets.
As the business is highly consumer-focused, Brunel’s resources are centred on servicing and reaching selected markets and segments with the right products and pricing.
“Our interactions with Brunel management prior to the deal allowed us to see the team as driven, while being very knowledgeable regarding its operations and industry,” says Menzi Khoza of RMB Corvest. “We believe this bodes well for our partnership, particularly as they already have experience with a PE partner.”
Did you know?
Elev8 (formulated with Zembrin, a highly-effective plant-based active pharmaceutical ingredient) is a natural mood enhancer and helps with symptoms of stress and anxiety. This complementary medicine is used by the SANDF for post-traumatic stress because it is an inexpensive natural alternative that is effective.
Unrivalled quality and increased distribution
Quality is at the centre of all that Brunel stands for and because the company holds all the necessary licences to operate in the pharmaceutical market, its quality will never be compromised.
The management team is excited about the growth path of Brunel, both organically and in what it hopes to achieve through selected merger and acquisition activity. Brunel has been servicing consumers for 47 years and it has become a household name.
Brunel CEO Paul Jonker says: “We look forward to working with our new partners, leveraging their expertise while continuing with the solid platform laid out by the existing management team. We are confident that this new partnership will drive growth opportunities and add significant value to our business and our long-term market strategy.” Brunel will continue to be consumer-focused and bring affordable, quality products to the market at the right prices.
“We will also continue to open up channels of distribution to make it easier for our consumers to access our products nationally,” Jonker concludes. •
Geoff Wilmot of RMB Corvest
Menzi Khoza of RMB Corvest
