Paine Schwartz Partners
Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm specializing in sustainable food chain investing, managing $6.5B in AUM through its Food Chain Funds and BetterCo platform. The firm invests across the global food and agribusiness value chain on behalf of institutional limited partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Paine Schwartz Partners does
Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm that invests exclusively across the global food and agribusiness value chain. Founded in 2006 by Kevin Schwartz and Dexter Paine as a successor to the 1997-vintage Fox Paine & Company, the firm operates from offices in New York and San Mateo and reports $6.5B in assets under management as of December 31, 2025, with a cumulative track record of 107 investments across 34 platforms and $6.1B deployed directly into food and agribusiness plus $2.7B raised in co-investment. Its investment thesis is two-pronged — Productivity & Sustainability and Health & Wellness — expressed through control buyouts of $100M-$300M equity ($10M-$100M+ EBITDA) and $50M-$100M growth equity checks, deployed primarily via the $1.7B Food Chain Fund VI and the BetterCo Holdings sub-platform focused on better-for-you consumer brands.
The portfolio spans seeds and crop genetics (Seminis, Advanta, Verisem), biological and post-harvest technologies (AgBiTech, AgroFresh, Elemental Enzymes, HGS BioScience), irrigation and inputs (Rivulis, Verdesian), food production and processing (Urban Farmer/Caulipower, Sunrise Growers, Lyons Magnus, Meadow Foods, Prima Wawona, Bloom Fresh, Icicle Seafoods, Spearhead International), ingredients and supplements (Promix, Scanbio), beverages (Suja Life), and enabling services (FoodChain ID/Registrar Corp, Kynetec, Advanced Agrilytics, Monterey Mushrooms). Operating support is delivered through a Portfolio Excellence Platform with sector operating directors and a Food Chain Advisory Board staffed by former executives of major food companies and the UN World Food Programme.
The firm earns revenue through conventional private equity economics: management fees on committed and invested capital across its Food Chain Funds, carried interest on realized gains, and co-investment fees — fees that are not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct to institutional limited partners (pension funds, endowments, family offices, sovereign wealth funds) supported by a dedicated investor relations function. The firm maintains a formal sustainability and responsible-investing posture (PRI signatory since 2019, TCFD- and TNFD-aligned reporting, SASB-aligned metrics, EDCI member) and publishes an annual sustainability report; it has been recognized with multiple Agri Investor Awards in 2023 and 2024 and named New Private Markets' Impact Firm of the Year (Food System). Strategic momentum has accelerated through 2024-2026 with senior hiring, the BetterCo platform launch, two high-profile realizations (AgBiTech to BASF, Suja Life Nasdaq IPO), and continued platform M&A across food and ag.
Paine Schwartz Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Paine Schwartz Partners
- Legal name
- Paine Schwartz Partners, LLC
- Website
- https://paineschwartz.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm specializing in sustainable food chain investing, managing $6.5B in AUM through its Food Chain Funds and BetterCo platform. The firm invests across the global food and agribusiness value chain on behalf of institutional limited partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Paine Schwartz Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private Equity - Food and Agribusiness
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Finance and Insurance (52)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real Assets Fund of Funds (Real Estate / Infrastructure / Natural Resources FoF) (FSAHAKAG)
Keywords
Where Paine Schwartz Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Paine Schwartz Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Private Equity Management: The firm generates revenue through management fees on assets under management and performance fees (carried interest) from successful portfolio investments. As a private equity firm, revenue is derived from the lifecycle of investment returns across its portfolio companies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Paine Schwartz Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm that raises capital from institutional investors and deploys it through control buyouts and growth equity investments in food and agribusiness companies worldwide. The firm invests across the global food value chain through sequential Food Chain Funds (currently Food Chain Fund VI at $1.7 billion) and a dedicated BetterCo Holdings platform for better-for-you food and beverage brands. Revenue is generated through management fees on assets under management and carried interest from successful portfolio company exits.
Product overview
Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm specializing in sustainable food chain investing with $6.5 billion in assets under management. The firm operates Food Chain Fund VI ($1.7 billion) as its primary investment vehicle, supplemented by BetterCo Holdings platform for better-for-you food and beverage investments. The investment strategy focuses on two core themes: Productivity and Sustainability (enhancing productivity across the food value chain while limiting resource consumption) and Health and Wellness (providing access to healthier, more nutritious food). The portfolio spans 30+ platform investments across the global food and agribusiness value chain, including agricultural inputs (seeds, crop protection, biologicals, irrigation), food production and processing (frozen foods, beverages, ingredients, seafood), and enabling services (food safety testing, regulatory compliance, market research, analytics). The firm utilizes Intapp DealCloud for deal sourcing and pipeline management with AI capabilities, and has invested in portfolio companies like Crisp Inc. that provide AI-powered retail and supply chain solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BetterCo Holdings: Investment platform under Paine Schwartz's Food Chain Fund VI focused on better-for-you food and beverage businesses
- BetterCo Holdings
Products and services
- Food Chain Fund VI Primary investment vehicle of Paine Schwartz Partners, a $1.7 billion fund focused on sustainable food chain investing across the global food and agribusiness value chain. Limited partners commit capital in exchange for fund interests and the firm invests via control buyouts ($100–$300M equity) and growth equity ($50–$100M).
- BetterCo Holdings New investment platform under Paine Schwartz's Food Chain Fund VI focused on aggregating investments in high-growth companies across the better-for-you food and beverage value chain. Initial portfolio includes Crisp Inc. (AI-driven commerce intelligence) and Lucky Energy (clean-energy beverage brand), with subsequent capital deployed into BERO nonalcoholic beer.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60+ million acres of sustainable agricultural land supported across portfolio
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Paine Schwartz Partners
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Paine Schwartz Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability6 records
Paine Schwartz Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major exit, core, minor and strategic acquisition.
- BASF Agricultural Solutionsmajor exitPaine Schwartz completed the sale of AgBiTech to BASF Agricultural Solutions. AgBiTech is a global leader in biological crop protection solutions using naturally occurring viruses to control caterpillar pests in major row crops, with manufacturing in the US, Australia, and Brazil.
- Intapp DealCloudcorePaine Schwartz Partners selected Intapp DealCloud to modernize its business development and capital markets operations. The platform will centralize data, streamline pipeline and relationship management, and integrate AI capabilities including Intapp Assist to drive operational efficiency and smarter deal sourcing.
- LEDA GroupminorImplementation partner for the Intapp DealCloud deployment, supporting the firm's operational modernization initiative.
- CAULIPOWERstrategic acquisitionAcquired by Urban Farmer (Paine Schwartz portfolio company) to establish a leading vertically integrated better-for-you frozen foods platform leveraging Urban Farmer's manufacturing capabilities and CAULIPOWER's distribution and innovation pipeline.
- NutriAgstrategic acquisitionAcquired by HGS BioScience (Paine Schwartz portfolio company) to expand bionutritional product capabilities across North America.
- Promix LLCstrategic acquisitionPaine Schwartz Partners acquired Promix LLC, a provider of high-quality nutritional supplements and better-for-you snacks, expanding into the functional nutrition market.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Paine Schwartz Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kainos Capital: Kainos Capital is a private equity firm focused exclusively on the food and consumer products sector, making control investments in food and agribusiness companies. It is the closest direct peer to Paine Schwartz Partners in mandate, sector focus, and deal size range.
- VMG Partners: VMG Partners is a consumer products-focused private equity firm investing in better-for-you food and beverage brands, comparable to Paine Schwartz's BetterCo Holdings platform and similar in target company stage and check size.
- L Catterton: L Catterton is the largest consumer-focused private equity firm globally, with significant investment activity in better-for-you food, beverage, and consumer brands. It competes with Paine Schwartz for growth-stage consumer brands and shares the same institutional LP base.
- TSG Consumer Partners: TSG Consumer Partners is a private equity firm focused on consumer products and brands, including food and beverage. The firm recently hired Alex DiFelice from TSG, indicating direct talent flow and competitive overlap on consumer brand deals.
- Trilantic North America: Trilantic North America is a mid-market private equity firm with strong consumer sector focus, including food and beverage. The firm recently hired Lee Nussbaum from Trilantic, signaling overlapping investment mandates and competitive talent dynamics.
Broad incumbents
- KKR: KKR is a global private equity firm with significant food, agribusiness, and sustainability investments through dedicated sector teams. While much larger and broader in mandate, KKR competes for institutional LP capital and large-cap food/ag assets alongside Paine Schwartz.
- Bain Capital: Bain Capital operates a global private equity platform with consumer, food, and natural resources sector exposure. As a much larger incumbent, Bain competes with Paine Schwartz for institutional LP allocations and for sponsor finance partnerships in food/ag.
- Carlyle Group: Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm with dedicated food, agribusiness, and consumer sector teams investing across the value chain. Its scale and LP relationships make it a competing capital source for both portfolio companies and limited partners considering Paine Schwartz funds.
- Onex Partners: Onex Partners is a mid-market private equity firm with consumer and food/ag investment activity. The firm recently hired Sofia Pirro from Onex, indicating competitive overlap and talent flow between the two firms.
- Blackstone: Blackstone is the world's largest alternative asset manager with active sustainability, food, and agribusiness investments through dedicated sector teams. Paine Schwartz's Head of Sustainability Rachel Hurley came from Blackstone's ESG team, evidencing talent overlap and competition for sustainability-focused LP capital.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Paine Schwartz Partners social profiles
Digital presencePaine Schwartz Partners compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Paine Schwartz Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Paine Schwartz Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Paine Schwartz Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Paine Schwartz Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Paine Schwartz Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A17 records
Investments19 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Paine Schwartz Partners
What does Paine Schwartz Partners do?
Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm that raises capital from institutional investors and deploys it through control buyouts and growth equity investments in food and agribusiness companies worldwide. The firm invests across the global food value chain through sequential Food Chain Funds (currently Food Chain Fund VI at $1.7 billion) and a dedicated BetterCo Holdings platform for better-for-you food and beverage brands. Revenue is generated through management fees on assets under management and carried interest from successful portfolio company exits.
Is Paine Schwartz Partners a public or private company?
Paine Schwartz Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Paine Schwartz Partners founded?
Paine Schwartz Partners was founded in 2006. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Paine Schwartz Partners based?
Paine Schwartz Partners is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Paine Schwartz Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: private Equity Management.
Who are Paine Schwartz Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kainos Capital, VMG Partners, L Catterton, TSG Consumer Partners and Trilantic North America. Broad incumbents are KKR, Bain Capital, Carlyle Group, Onex Partners and Blackstone.
Does Paine Schwartz Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Paine Schwartz Partners.
What industry is Paine Schwartz Partners in?
Paine Schwartz Partners's product category is Private Equity - Food and Agribusiness. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAHAKAG, Real Assets Fund of Funds (Real Estate / Infrastructure / Natural Resources FoF). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.