Kingswood Capital Management announced it has completed a strategic investment in Soulshine Farms, a provider of poultry further-processing solutions, marking another expansion of its food and beverage investment portfolio.
The transaction includes Soulshine Farms and Pearl River Foods, with all three founders, Michael Farmer, Eric Reeves, and Drew Hill, retaining equity ownership and continuing in executive leadership roles. As part of the investment, Kingswood Operating Partner John Niemann has been appointed Executive Chairman of the company.
Founded in 2018, Soulshine Farms specializes in poultry processing services including portioning and deboning, marination and packaging, and custom sizing and shaping. The company produces value-added poultry products for national foodservice brands, retail customers, and protein distributors, processing more than 6 million pounds of protein weekly across three facilities totaling 185,000 square feet in Georgia and Mississippi.
The investment is intended to support the company’s next phase of growth, with Kingswood providing operational expertise and resources to expand capacity and capabilities. The firm is targeting opportunities to scale Soulshine Farms’ production footprint and deepen relationships with existing customers while capitalizing on favorable trends in the protein market.
Kingswood identified Soulshine Farms as a strong founder-led business with established market positioning and a loyal customer base, aligning with its strategy of partnering with management teams to drive operational improvements and long-term growth.
The deal represents Kingswood’s seventh investment in the food and beverage sector and its second focused on protein, reinforcing its commitment to building sector expertise. It also highlights the firm’s continued emphasis on backing founder-led companies with institutional capital and operational support.
Advisors on the transaction included Barclays as exclusive buyside advisor to Kingswood, Kirkland & Ellis as legal advisor, and JGH Consulting as advisor to Soulshine Farms.
Soulshine Farms has rapidly grown since its founding, positioning itself as a key partner in the protein supply chain through its focus on quality, food safety, and customer service.
KEY QUOTES:
“In Kingswood, we found an operationally focused partner willing to work alongside us to invest in the business, while preserving the qualities that we believe make Soulshine Farms unique and give us a competitive advantage. With Kingswood’s investment, we’re looking forward to our next chapter of growth while continuing to deliver the quality and reliability that our customers have come to expect. Our success has always been driven by the dedication of our employees and the culture we’ve built together, and we look forward to welcoming Kingswood as our new partner.”
Michael Farmer, Eric Reeves, and Drew Hill, Founders, Soulshine Farms
“Michael, Eric, and Drew have built an impressive company dedicated to producing high-quality products with top-tier customer service. We have a shared vision for the future, and we’re looking forward to partnering with the entire Soulshine Farms team, bringing in resources and operational expertise to expand its capacity and capabilities to support continued growth with their customers.”
Andrew Kovach, Partner, Kingswood Capital Management
“We saw an opportunity in Soulshine Farms that was right out of our playbook–a founder-led company with strong fundamentals, a solid market position, and a loyal customer base–seeking its first institutional capital. By working with the founders and John Niemann, a seasoned Kingswood operating partner with deep experience in the industry, we see significant growth potential ahead for the company and an ability to capitalize on favorable protein market tailwinds.”
Alex Wolf, Founder and Managing Partner, Kingswood Capital Management
