European consumer goods company · Food and beverage · Europe and Brazil
The challenge
Rather than setting up on its own in Brazil, the company chose to enter the market through a joint venture (JV) with a leading local distributor. Everything turned on negotiating a shareholders’ agreement and a JV agreement that would protect its interests and its intellectual property.
What we did
- Together with an independent law firm from our network in Brazil, specialising in M&A and shareholders’ agreements, we coordinated the due diligence on the distributor and the negotiations with it.
- The firm drafted the shareholders’ agreement and the JV agreement under Brazilian company law.
- We set up a secure virtual data room (VDR) so that the due diligence could be carried out remotely.
The outcome
- Joint venture agreement signed in 4 months, with the European company’s key assets protected.
- The joint venture company was incorporated and is up and running in Brazil, with a governance structure that balances control between the two partners.
- The JV broke even 6 months earlier than its business plan forecast.
Services involved: Implementation and Technology (existing platforms) · Global Law and Integrated Legal Advisory.
