美國最大椰汁品牌通過股權轉讓進軍中國
The coconut water craze is coming to China.
椰汁熱即將席捲中國。Vita Coco, the biggest seller of coconut water in the United States, agreed on Monday to sell a 25 percent stake in itself to the owner of Red Bull China for about $166 million.
美國最大的椰汁銷售商Vita Coco週一宣佈達成協議，以1.66億美元左右（約合10億元人民幣）的價格，把25%的股權出售給紅牛中國的所有方。The deal, which values All Market, the parent company of Vita Coco, at about $665 million, is an important milestone for the coconut water market. Once seen as a passing fad, coconut water continues to gain in popularity around the world as soda sales weaken.
根據這一價格推算，Vita Coco的母公司All Market的估值約爲6.65億美元。這筆交易對椰汁市場來說是一個重要的里程碑。椰汁曾被看作是明日黃花，如今，隨着蘇打水的銷量日趨疲軟，它在世界各地的人氣正不斷增長。
Coca-Cola owns the second-largest coconut water brand, Zico. But Vita Coco has emerged as the industry leader, and will now be available in the world’s most populous country for the first time.
可口可樂公司(Coca-Cola)擁有第二大椰汁品牌Zico。不過，Vita Coco已崛起爲椰汁行業的領軍者，而且現在，它將首次進入世界人口第一大國的市場。Vita Coco was founded in 2004 by Michael Kirban and his friend Ira Liran. Since then, Vita Coco has established a sophisticated supply chain throughout the tropics, allowing it to efficiently harvest, process and package coconuts. The co-founders continue to own significant stakes, along with Verlinvest, a Belgian private equity firm.
Vita Coco於2004年由邁克爾·基爾班(Michael Kirban)和友人伊拉·裏蘭(Ira Liran)共同創立。此後，Vita Coco在廣大的熱帶地區建立了先進的供應鏈，因此能夠高效地採摘、加工椰子並包裝產品。兩位創始人和比利時的私募公司Verlinvest將繼續持有大量股份。Celebrities including Madonna and Matthew McConaughey also own small stakes. The deal will allow some early employees and investors to cash in on the soaring value of the brand by selling shares to the Reignwood Group, the parent company of Red Bull China.
還有一些名人在該公司持有少量股份，比如麥當娜(Madonna)和馬修·麥康納(Matthew McConaughey)。本次交易使公司的早期僱員和投資者可以把股份出售給紅牛中國的母公司華彬集團，從而利用品牌價值的急劇飆升獲利。“Vita Coco’s growth in the U.S. has been well documented, less so the brand’s exponential growth in Europe and more recently, Japan,” Mr. Kirban, who is chief executive, said in a statement. “We expect China to follow suit.”
“Vita Coco在美國的增長得到了廣泛報道，沒有那麼廣爲人知的是，它在歐洲以及最近在日本也取得了幾何級數增長，”首席執行官基爾班在聲明中稱。“我們希望，在中國會出現同樣的增長態勢。”Vita Coco has found a powerful ally in Red Bull China.
Vita Coco的合作伙伴紅牛中國頗爲強大。Red Bull China is a separate company from Red Bull, the Austrian company behind the popular energy drink. Red Bull China acquired the rights to sell Red Bull products to Chinese consumers in the early 1990s. It has increased sales of the energy drink there to more than $2.5 billion a year with a robust marketing and distribution operation.
紅牛中國和紅牛(Red Bull)是兩家獨立的企業，後者是這款暢銷功能飲料背後的奧地利公司。紅牛中國於上世紀90年代初獲得了在中國銷售紅牛產品的代理權。憑藉着強勁的營銷和分銷網絡，紅牛中國將這款功能飲料的年銷售額提高到了逾25億美元。Recently, Red Bull China went looking for other brands it could sell alongside its staple energy drink. Chanchai Ruayrungruang, chairman and founder of Reignwood Group, wanted to secure an equity stake in Vita Coco, believing the value of the company would continue to rise over time.
最近，除了這款主打的功能飲料之外，紅牛中國開始尋找其他可以銷售的品牌。由於看好Vita Coco未來的增長前景，華彬集團的董事長及創始人嚴彬(Chanchai Ruayrungruang)決定收購其股權。“We immediately recognized the potential for the Vita Coco brand in China,” Mr. Ruayrungruang said in a statement. “We are confident health-minded Chinese consumers will quickly embrace and remain loyal to the Vita Coco brand.”
“我們快速認識到了Vita Coco品牌在中國的潛力，”嚴彬在聲明中稱。“我們相信，注重健康的中國消費者會迅速接納並長期忠誠於Vita Coco品牌。”Barclays advised Vita Coco, and the Giannuzzi Group provided legal advice.
爲Vita Coco提供諮詢服務的是巴克萊(Barclays)，提供法律顧問服務的則爲Giannuzzi律師事務所。
