Name

Cerea Partenaire

Legal name

CEREA PARTNERS

Website

https://cerea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity & Private Debt Asset Management (Food & Beverage)

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Middle-Market Lending (FSANADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)

Keywords

• Private equity investments
• Mezzanine debt financing
• Food beverage sector
• Buyout transactions
• Senior debt funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Management: Cerea Partners generates returns through managing private equity and debt funds for institutional investors, family offices, and banks, earning management fees and carried interest on investments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cerea Partners is an AMF-authorized private investment management firm that raises and manages thematic investment funds dedicated to the food & beverage value chain. It provides diversified financing to SMEs and mid-market companies (enterprise values typically €20-500 million) in France and Western Europe through private equity (capital transmission/LBO), mezzanine debt, unitranche, and senior debt, supported by sector expertise and active financial, strategic and ESG guidance.

Product overview

Cerea Partners operates as a thematic investment firm specializing in the food & beverage universe, offering a diversified financing platform comprising multiple fund strategies. The core offering includes Cerea Capital (private equity for buyouts), Cerea Mezzanine (subordinated debt), Cerea Dette (senior debt), and Unitranche financing products. These are distributed across various fund generations (Capital II, III; Mezzanine II, III, IV; Dette II, III) targeting companies with enterprise values typically between €20-500 million in France and Western Europe. The platform also includes specialized regional funds like Mezz Ouest Solutions and the strategic Cerea Agro Dev Industrie fund for food sovereignty. The funds collectively manage €1.5 billion in assets and have completed approximately 200 investments since 2004.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cerea Mezzanine: Mezzanine debt financing funds for SMEs in the food and beverage value chain
• Cerea Capital
• Cerea Dette
• Mezz Ouest Solutions (MOS)
• Cerea Agro Dev Industrie (ADI)

Products and services

• Cerea Capital (Private Equity Fund) Private equity capital transmission fund providing equity capital for buyouts (LBO), growth financing and succession transactions targeting SMEs and mid-market companies (ETI) in the food & beverage value chain with enterprise values between €20-500 million.
• Cerea Mezzanine (Mezzanine Debt Fund)

Named customers23 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Demea InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026New combined entity from merger of Cerea Partners and Demeter Investment Managers, creating a leading private equity/debt player. Cerea Agro Dev Industrie (ADI) fund launched targeting €500 million for French agri-food sovereignty.
• Demeter Investment ManagerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Cerea Partners and Demeter announced a strategic merger agreement in June 2025 to create Demea Invest, a leading private equity and debt investment player in startups, SMEs and mid-sized companies. Demeter brings expertise in energy and ecological transition.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Unigrains: Unigrains is the French agri-food specialist investor that originally owned Cerea Partners until the 2019 MBO. Both firms invest exclusively across the F&B value chain in France and Western Europe via equity and mezzanine, targeting SMEs and mid-caps. Unigrains is Cerea's closest thematic and operational peer, with Cerea having spun out of its former parent.
• Capagro: Capagro is a French private equity fund dedicated to the agri-food and ag-tech value chain, targeting growth and capital transmission investments in similar enterprise-value ranges to Cerea. It is a direct thematic competitor for F&B mid-market deals in France and Europe.
• Avril (Sofiprotéol): Avril Group (formerly Sofiprotéol) operates Sofiprotéol, a financial vehicle that invests equity and quasi-equity in French agri-food value chain companies. It shares Cerea's thematic F&B focus, regional mid-market target, and active partnership approach with entrepreneurs.
• Demeter Investment Managers: Demeter is a European PE/VC firm focused on energy and ecological transition, which announced a merger of equals with Cerea in June 2025 to form Demea Invest. While historically focused on different verticals, Demeter is now Cerea's closest corporate peer and platform partner, combining F&B and energy transition theses.

Broad incumbents

• Latour Capital: Latour Capital is a French lower mid-market PE firm with notable exposure to F&B and consumer brands (e.g., acquisition of Omni-Pac Group with Cerea as debt financier). It competes for similar LBO and capital transmission deals in the French mid-market and has executed co-investments alongside Cerea.
• Sagard: Sagard is a Franco-Canadian mid-market PE firm with a track record in French F&B (e.g., acquisition of Nutrisens with Cerea Dette II as senior financing). It competes for similar capital transmission deals and represents both a co-investment partner and a buyer of Cerea portfolio companies.
• EMZ Partners: EMZ Partners is a European mezzanine and private debt investor active in French mid-market deals including F&B (e.g., co-investor in Labelys). It directly competes with Cerea Mezzanine for unitranche and mezzanine financings in France and Western Europe.
• Kartesia: Kartesia is a European direct lending platform specializing in unitranche, mezzanine, and senior debt for mid-market companies. It competes directly with Cerea Dette for senior acquisition financing in F&B and adjacent sectors (e.g., acquisition of Babcock Wanson).
• PAI Partners: PAI Partners is a European mid-market PE firm with significant F&B expertise, where Hubert Lange (now Managing Director at Cerea) previously worked. PAI competes for larger LBO opportunities across the F&B value chain in Western Europe and serves as both a competitor and a feeder of deal flow.
• Argos Wityu: Argos Wityu is a Franco-European mid-market PE firm that has acquired Cerea portfolio companies (e.g., Monviso Group in 2024). It is both a competitor for F&B mid-market deals and a strategic exit partner for Cerea's realized investments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cereapartenaire

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A11 records

Investments7 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cerea Partenaire