Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, an lifestyle brand centred around food and wine, has secured an investment by a fund managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation (ARES). Terms of the investment have not been disclosed.
Since its founding in 2005, Cooper’s Hawk has built the world’s largest wine club and a highly differentiated and experiential restaurant concept. Today, the company has nearly 400,000 wine club members across its 36 restaurants and tasting rooms. The concept was created with a vision to create memorable moments that enrich lives by bringing a wine country experience to local communities, serving chef-inspired modern casual dining paired with a proprietary portfolio of award-winning Cooper’s Hawk wine.
“Tim McEnery conceived of a disruptive restaurant concept and lifestyle brand. Tim’s vision has resulted in an incredibly passionate consumer following, driving industry-leading growth and unit economics,” says David Kaplan, Co-Founder of Ares Management and Global Co-Head of the Private Equity Group. “Our investment in Cooper’s Hawk follows Ares’ strategy of supporting best-in-class growth businesses. We are thrilled to partner with Tim and the rest of the management team as they continue to lead Cooper’s Hawk through its next phase of growth.”
“We are excited to find in Ares a partner that appreciates the uniqueness of Cooper’s Hawk, and its community of employees and wine club members,” says Tim McEnery, Founder and CEO of Cooper’s Hawk. “With the significant resources across the Ares platform, we believe together we can accelerate our growth trajectory, while maintaining our relentless focus on delivering a tremendous experience and value proposition to our wine club members and guests. I continue to own a meaningful portion of Cooper’s Hawk and will lead in our unwavering commitment to provide the very best food, wine, and innovative experiences.”
“We thoroughly enjoyed our nine-year partnership with Tim McEnery and the Cooper’s Hawk management team and are delighted that they found the right partner in Ares to support the company in the years ahead,” added Allan Karp, Co-Founder of KarpReilly, which sold its minority position in Cooper’s Hawk as part of the transaction.
North Point Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to Cooper’s Hawk and Ropes & Gray LLP served as legal counsel. BofA Merrill Lynch acted as a financial advisor to Ares and Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP served as legal advisors.
