Kainos Capital announced that it has acquired Patten Seed Holdings, doing business as Super-Sod, from Heartwood Partners III and affiliated investors. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Super-Sod is a provider of sod, seed, soil and landscaping products serving the southern United States through a vertically integrated network of farms, retail locations and an e-commerce platform. The company has built a strong reputation among professional landscapers and homeowners through its omnichannel model, product quality and focus on innovation.
During Heartwood Partners’ ownership, Super-Sod expanded its operations through investments in automation, production capacity, enterprise software, digital marketing and e-commerce capabilities. The company also completed five acquisitions across Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Texas, significantly broadening its geographic footprint.
Super-Sod CEO Ben Copeland said the company is entering its next phase of growth with Kainos Capital, which plans to support both organic expansion and additional acquisitions.
Kainos Capital said it intends to leverage its industry relationships, operating capabilities and capital resources to strengthen Super-Sod’s market leadership through product innovation, geographic expansion, new retail distribution channels and complementary acquisitions.
Partners Capital joined Kainos in the investment and served as lead co-investor in the transaction.
Baird served as financial advisor and Weil, Gotshal & Manges acted as legal advisor to Kainos Capital. Harris Williams served as financial advisor, and Finn Dixon & Herling acted as legal advisor to Super-Sod, Heartwood Partners and its investors.
KEY QUOTES:
“Heartwood Partners has been a great partner to Super-Sod throughout this journey. They believed in our team and invested their resources and support behind us. Together, we built a much larger, technologically advanced, and geographically diverse organization, and I’m proud of what we accomplished together. We are excited for our next stage of growth with Kainos Capital who has a focus on helping businesses like ours scale aggressively through organic initiatives as well as complementary acquisitions.”
Ben Copeland, CEO, Super-Sod
“Ben and his management team have built a differentiated platform in the landscaping solutions industry. Given our experience creating strategic value with similar business models, we believe Kainos, as a result of our industry relationships, operating capabilities and capital base, is well-suited to help management quickly expand Super-Sod’s leadership position through attractive add-on acquisitions, product innovation, geographic expansion, and new retail distribution.”
Jeff Moredock, Partner, Kainos Capital
“This successful exit reflects the strength of Super-Sod’s brand, the dedication of its employees, and the management team’s focused execution of its long-term strategic plan. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Company during this important chapter of its growth.”
James Sidwa, Managing Partner, Heartwood Partners
“We are thrilled to have partnered with the team at Super-Sod to expand the Company’s industry-leading business model across the Southern U.S. through organic growth and add-on acquisitions. We are proud of the Company’s market leadership and innovation and look forward to its continued success with Kainos Capital as its next partner.”
Andrea Nelson, Managing Director, Heartwood Partners
“Super-Sod has built a trusted brand in the landscaping solutions industry by delivering a seamless customer experience for both landscapers and homeowners. We are excited to partner with Super-Sod’s exceptional management team as they expand the Company’s product and service offerings to meet more of its customers’ needs.”
Peter Schnuck, Vice President, Kainos Capital
