Having sold a minority stake to Active Partners in 2017, the founders of Caravan Restaurants & Coffee Roasters say they are ready to advance their strategic vision after regaining full ownership of the 12-venue hospitality group
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Caravan has received additional funding from HSBC to fuel future growth | Photo credit: Caravan
UK specialty coffee roaster and hospitality group Caravan has completed a management buyout, a move which sees private equity firm Active Partners exit the business after eight years.
London-based Active Partners took a minority stake in the then four-venue business in March 2017. The buyout sees Caravan founders Miles Kirby, Laura Harper-Hinton and Chris Ammermann regain full ownership and control of the business.
The refinancing for the buy-out was supported by HSBC, which has also provided additional funding to fuel future growth for the boutique business.
“We’ve had a great journey with Active Partners as a minority investor, and now it’s time to push forward with our strategic vision and direction. We’ll continue to grow the brand and business in line with our values, and have exciting plans for the future,” Harper-Hinton told Propel.
Caravan currently operates nine outlets, three coffee brew bars and a 10,000sq ft roastery in London, which supplies its cafés, wholesale, subscription and e-commerce channels. The group opened its first site outside of London in Manchester in August 2024 and is exploring further regional sites, with Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Dublin cited as potential locations.
In June 2024, Caravan attained B Corp certification, following in the footsteps of fellow UK specialty coffee roasters Origin Coffee, Ozone Coffee Roasters, Climpson & Sons and Grind.
Scoring 83.3 in its B Impact Assessment, compared to a global average of 50.9, Caravan credited its Female Producer Programme, charity partnerships, ethical coffee sourcing and energy efficient roasting as key to achieving the coveted sustainability certification.