Shore Capital Announces Partnership with OC Flavors

CHICAGO & CHINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners (“Shore” or “Shore Capital”) is pleased to announce it has formed a growth partnership with OC Flavors (“OC” or the “Company”), a custom flavor developer and manufacturer based in Chino, California.

OC Flavors was founded in 2007 by Leah McCuen and Monica Ahuero to offer a full range of natural and organic flavors and flavoring solutions across a variety of food, beverage and supplement product applications. Operating out of a BRC-certified production facility and innovation center, the Company’s core offerings include liquid and powdered flavors for the beverage, dairy, plant-based, nutraceutical, snacking, confection and bakery industries. Shore Capital is partnering with the Company’s management team, which has led OC Flavors through tremendous growth over the past 15 years.

“We are thrilled to partner with Shore given their strategic approach and track record for building businesses like ours,” McCuen said. Ahuero added, “We are confident that Shore’s playbook and resources will help us take OC to the next level, as we look to maintain our winning culture while providing our customers and industry partners with world-class quality, service and innovation.”

OC and Shore plan to invest in several key initiatives to drive growth, including added support in key areas such as sales and marketing, research and development, and operational infrastructure. Together, OC Flavors and Shore will explore opportunities for inorganic growth through acquisitions and organic growth through new products and service offerings to deepen OC’s value proposition and customer relationships.

“We are honored to partner with the OC Flavors team on this next exciting chapter in the Company’s impressive history,” said Richard Boos, Partner at Shore and Chairman of OC Flavors. “Leah and Monica have built tremendous reputations in the flavor industry and a world-class organization with values and priorities that align extremely well with Shore’s. We could not be more excited to start executing our growth plan with the OC Flavors team.”

“Shore has been studying the flavors industry for several years, and we are confident we have found the perfect entrepreneurs and team to partner with at OC Flavors,” said Jeff Smith, Principal at Shore Capital. “We see tremendous opportunity for the Company moving forward as we add resources and capabilities to further enhance our offerings for our customers. We also look forward to welcoming additional flavor and related specialty ingredient companies into the family as we complete strategic add-on acquisitions.”

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is focused on microcap investments within the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, and Real Estate industries. Shore supports management partners with capital, business development expertise, and industry knowledge to accelerate growth, fund acquisitions, and generate value for shareholders. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant growth potential, including organic growth and growth through industry consolidation. Shore has approximately $3 billion of cumulative capital commitments through various investment vehicles. For more information, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

About OC Flavors

Since 2007, OC Flavors has provided custom flavors and flavoring solutions to help food and beverage creators navigate the complexities of their industries and develop flavors that set their products apart. Since its founding, the Company has built deep customer relationships and an excellent industry reputation by providing quality, innovative flavors with a particular emphasis on natural and organic-certified offerings. Today OC Flavors is a leading supplier and innovator for flavors across the beverage, snack bar, bakery, nutraceutical, dairy and plant-based categories, among other applications. For more information, please visit: www.ocflavors.com.