Elevating Agribusiness Investments: Advising Pearl Capital on Newman Foods’ Uganda Market Entry

Pearl Capital Partners (PCP) is a specialist agriculture investment firm that has been investing in small and medium-sized agribusinesses. The company’s investments generate financial returns for its investors while creating significant social impact.

CrossBoundary Advisory provided specialized transaction advisory support to Pearl Capital Partners focused primarily on commercial due diligence for Newman Foods and an extensive market analysis of the snack sector in Uganda. The snack industry in Uganda has been experiencing steady growth, driven by increasing consumer demand for convenient and affordable options. Despite a crowded marketplace, there remains an untapped opportunity for quality and differentiated products, a niche that Newman Foods aims to fill. This engagement was carried out under USAID’s Uganda Strategic Investment Activity.

CrossBoundary Advisory provided actionable insights and facilitated the investment process with the following steps.

Market Research and Size Assessment: Conducted exhaustive market research through expert interviews to quantify both the value and volume of Uganda’s snack market.

Consumer Behavior: Visited multiple distribution channels, such as supermarkets, to gather data on market size and consumer behavior. Administered customer surveys to ascertain consumer preferences and purchasing patterns.

Commercial Due Diligence: Compared the newly collected market data against existing data from Newman Foods to validate assumptions and identify any discrepancies.

Product Portfolio Assessment: Carried out customer interviews and site visits to gauge the competitive strength of Newman Foods’ current product offerings, and identify potential for portfolio expansion.

Through this engagement, CrossBoundary Advisory provided Pearl Capital Partners with a comprehensive understanding of the market landscape, customer preferences, and Newman Foods’ positioning, thereby enabling a more informed and strategic investment decision.