Australia's Padre Coffee to join forces with Seven Miles Coffee Roasters

Seven Miles Coffee Roasters CEO, Jenny Willits will lead new umbrella organisation, Seven Miles Coffee Company (7MCC) | Photo credit: Seven Miles Coffee Roasters 

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Australia’s Padre Coffee has been acquired by private equity firm Liverpool Partners. The deal, made for an undisclosed sum, will see the specialty coffee roaster and retailer join forces with fellow specialty coffee roaster, Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, in which Liverpool Partners also acquired a majority stake in September 2021.
 
Both Padre Coffee and Seven Miles Coffee Roasters will continue to operate as separate brands within Liverpool’s portfolio under a newly formed umbrella organisation called Seven Miles Coffee Company (7MCC).
 
Led by current Seven Miles Coffee Roasters CEO Jenny Willits, 7MCC will provide leadership oversight and develop a broader growth strategy for both Padre Coffee and Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, the companies said in a press release.
 
“Seven Miles Coffee Roasters and Padre Coffee have both long shared a passion for the pursuit of exceptional coffee, backed by a focus on sustainability. Our customer-centric and people-focused approach, teamed with our combined capabilities will undoubtedly create an exceptional, curated line up of specialty and premium coffees, that goes well beyond the Seven Miles heartland of NSW, ACT and QLD,” said Jenny Willits, CEO, Seven Miles Coffee Roasters
 
Sydney-based Liverpool Partners manages $700m portfolio of retail, IT, and healthcare brands. In addition to its growing specialty coffee portfolio, in late-2021 Liverpool Partners also invested in coffee equipment and service provider, Australian Beverage Corporation.
 
“We are excited about the prospect of further growth for both Padre Coffee and Seven Miles Coffee Roasters under the new 7MCC led by Jenny Willits. It will no doubt result in the most outstanding suite of coffee products in Australia,” said Jonathan Lim, Managing Partner, Liverpool Partners
 
7MCC looks set to be a formidable force within Australia’s lucrative specialty coffee market. Seven Miles Coffee Roasters currently serves an 800-strong network café partners & thousands of retail customers across Australia. Meanwhile, Melbourne-based Padre has a long-standing sustainability ethos which will be highly complementary to Seven Mile’s own sustainable and ethical coffee sourcing.
 
Australia’s retail coffee market has seen several major acquisitions over the last 12 months.
 
In February 2022, Japan’s UCC Holdings acquired Australian coffee business group, Suntory Coffee Australia, which is comprised of major brands including Toby’s Estate, Caffe L'Affare, and Atomic Coffee Roasters, for $158.4m.

In June 2021, JAB Holding-backed JDE Peet’s bought Australian coffee roaster, retailer and coffee shop business, Campos Coffee, for an undisclosed sum. The previous April, Japanese beverage giant Asahi Beverages acquired specialty coffee roaster and café business, Allpress.