Leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has advised Captain Fresh, India’s leading tech-led seafood supply chain company, on its agreement to acquire Koral S.A (Koral), a Poland-based producer and distributor of branded salmon products with Abris Capital Partners (Abris), the ESG transformation specialist private equity investor, and Boguslaw Kowalski, the company’s founder. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.
Captain Fresh, which is backed by private equity firms including Tiger Global Management, Prosus Ventures, British International Investment amongst others, is one of the world’s leading exporters and distributors of fish and seafood.
The Herbert Smith Freehills team was led by Corporate partner Siddhartha Shukla and senior associate Meera Thakrar, who worked closely with Gopalakrishnan Ramachandran, General Counsel of Captain Fresh.
The wider Herbert Smith Freehills included Tax partner Josh Lom, senior associates Nikesh Arya, Raj Mathew and Graham Crocker, and associates Erika Joseph and Shereen Goh.
Siddhartha Shukla, Corporate partner, Herbert Smith Freehills, said: “We are delighted to have supported Captain Fresh on this strategically important transaction for them. It is a great example of Indian businesses with remarkable international ambitions.“
Gopalakrishnan Ramachandran, General Counsel of Captain Fresh, said, “This is a significant deal, and the team at HSF played a key role in seamlessly navigating the European legal landscape.“
The transaction is another example of our ability to manage and coordinate complex cross-border transactions.
Based across London, Singapore and Dubai, our market-leading India practice operates seamlessly as one adaptable team, advising Indian corporates on high-profile and major cross-border inbound and outbound transactions on projects, corporate M&A, disputes and private equity. The India practice is ranked Band 1 Corporate/M&A by Chambers Asia Pacific (India) 2024 and has been ranked Tier 1 for India – Foreign Firms by Legal 500 for 16 consecutive years. We are regularly the firm of choice for both international clients and Indian corporates in relation to their most important matters in India as well as overseas.
