Mumbai-based private equity firm Kedaara Capital has forayed into the packaging sector by investing close to $32m (Rs 200 crore) in an unlisted folding cartons and paper packaging company, Parksons Packaging.
The company said that it had purchased a significant minority stake with the help of existing stake from rival private equity fund Chryscapital and fresh shares from promoters.
Parksons primarily supplies its products to drug makers, soaps and paste makers and its clients include Hindustan Unilever, L'Oreal, Godrej, McDonald's, Kellogg's, Cadbury, Wockhardt and Ranbaxy.
Chrys Capital had purchased 21% stake in the company for around $8m (Rs 50 crore) in 2006.
Managing partners of Kedaara Capital Manish Kejriwal and Sunish Sharma said in a release: "This is an opportune time to invest in the Indian packaging sector, with Parksons being especially well-positioned to benefit from the growth in the Indian consumption story.
"With a best-in-class management team, a key differentiator in the highly fragmented packaging sector, Parksons leverages its well-diversified exposure across multiple sectors, roster of marquee global and local customers, and strong design and innovation capabilities to offer a unique value proposition to all its customers."
Parksons was founded in the mid 1990s by the family of Ramesh Kejriwal. With three manufacturing units across northern and western India, the company has close to 100 customers primarily from sectors like food and beverages, home and personal care, pharmaceuticals and quick service restaurants.
Before the investment in Parksons, Kedaara had invested Rs 200 crore in 2014 to acquire a significant minority stake in Mahindra Logistics.
