Louisville Brands Acquires Louisville Vegan Jerky

Consumer holding company Louisville Brands has acquired Louisville Vegan Jerky Company from early-stage investment firm Render Capital. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2012, Louisville Vegan Jerky produces an assortment of plant-based snacks sold in Whole Foods Market stores nationwide. Its soy jerky is available in flavors including Pepperoni Pizza, Buffalo Hot Wing, Maple Bacon, General Tso’s and more.

Render Capital, an early backer of Louisville Vegan Jerky, invests in startups in the Midwest and South across a variety of sectors.

“The acquisition of Louisville Vegan Jerky is another strong signal that Louisville and the broader Midwest/South ecosystem can attract talent, scale brands nationally, and create significant investor value,” said Doug Grissom, investor in Render Capital, managing director at Madison Dearborn and chairman at Louisville Brands, in a statement.

Louisville Brands launched earlier this year to acquire and scale food, beverage and lifestyle brands, tapping into a vertically integrated model to manage every aspect of the product lifecycle. Its portfolio includes spirits brands Party Horses, Mugen Spirit and Stillwater and Gym Snack, a chef-inspired, high-protein, plant-based product.

The firm’s founders Justin Delaney and Brook Smith are managing partners of Wabi Capital, according to Louisville Business First, investing in a dozen brands including Blake’s Seed Based and Halfday. The team aims to acquire 10 brands and employ 50 people by year-end, per the publication.

“Louisville Vegan Jerky has built a passionate following and a strong foundation in the plant-based sector,” said Delaney in a statement. “We are excited to bring the company into our portfolio and continue building from Louisville, where logistics, supply chain advantages, and a deep consumer ecosystem provide unmatched opportunities for scaling.”