Food and agribusiness private equity firm
Paine Schwartz Partners
Formerly Paine & Partners
- HeadquartersNew York, NY S1
- Websitepaineschwartz.com
- Last verifiedOctober 22, 2026
At a glance
| Assets under management | $6.5B (as of Dec 2025) S3 |
|---|---|
| Latest fund | Paine Schwartz Food Chain Fund VI, $1.7B (Sep 2023) S5 |
| EBITDA range | $10M to $100M S2 |
| Check size | $50M to $300M S2 |
| Deal types | Platform, Add-on, Growth, Minority S2 |
| Geography | North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand S2 |
| Sectors | Consumer & Food, Distribution |
What Paine Schwartz Partners buys
Paine Schwartz Partners is a New York private equity firm, with a second office in San Mateo, California, that invests only in food and agribusiness. It follows two themes: businesses that help farms and food makers produce more with fewer resources, such as crop inputs, genetics and post-harvest treatments, and health and wellness businesses such as better-for-you foods, supplements and specialty food distribution. It reports about $6.5 billion of assets under management at the end of 2025, and its newest fund, Fund VI, closed at $1.7 billion in 2023.
Most of its capital goes into control buyouts of companies with $10 million to more than $100 million of EBITDA, using $100 million to $300 million of equity. A smaller share goes to growth deals of $50 million to $100 million, and it will take a minority stake with the right governance rights. It invests in North America, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. A smaller food business is most likely to meet the firm as an add-on, as CAULIPOWER did when it joined Urban Farmer in 2025.
Recent deals
Announced in the 24 months before October 22, 2026.
| Date | Company | Type | Sector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | First DayAustin, Texas family vitamin and supplement brand; the founder stays on as CEO | Platform | Consumer & Food | Source |
| Jul 2026 | Lyons MagnusFresno foodservice syrup, sauce and beverage maker sold to Truelink Capital after revenue grew to over $1 billion | Exit | Consumer & Food | Source |
| Jul 2026 | AMFRESH Group and BLOOM FRESH InternationalStructured minority investment from Fund VI in a family-owned produce group and its fruit breeding and licensing arm | Minority | Source | |
| Apr 2026 | AgBiTechBiological crop protection company sold to BASF Agricultural Solutions; the sale closed March 31 | Exit | Source | |
| Nov 2025 | BetterCo Holdings (Crisp and Lucky Energy)New Fund VI platform that holds growth stakes in downstream food and beverage companies, starting with Crisp and Lucky Energy | Growth | Consumer & Food | Source |
| Nov 2025 | CAULIPOWERBetter-for-you frozen pizza brand added to Urban Farmer | Add-on | Consumer & Food | Source |
| Jun 2025 | Chex Finer FoodsThird-generation, family-owned specialty food distributor in Mansfield, Massachusetts; the CEO stays on | Platform | Distribution | Source |
| Jan 2025 | Danish GeneticsSwine genetics company merged into Hendrix Genetics' Hypor division | Add-on | Source | |
| Nov 2024 | PromixGainesville, Florida protein and supplement brand; the founder and CEO keeps leading it | Platform | Consumer & Food | Source |
Portfolio by sector
From the firm's portfolio page S4.
Active Investments
- Advanced Agrilytics
- AgroFresh
- Axiota Animal Health
- BetterCo Holdings
- BLOOM FRESH International
- Chex Finer Foods
- Costa Group
- Elemental Enzymes
- First Day
- Hendrix Genetics
- HGS BioScience
- Kynetec
- Monterey Mushrooms and Amycel
- Promix
- Registrar Corp
- Sterilex
- Suja Life
- Urban Farmer
- Verisem
Past investments: AgBiTech, Lyons Magnus, FoodChain ID
Greymont’s take
How Paine Schwartz Partners fits a seller
Paine Schwartz suits owners of larger food, beverage, ingredient and farm-input businesses who want a buyer that knows the sector deeply. Its buyout floor of $10 million of EBITDA, and equity checks that usually start around $100 million, put most of its platform deals well above the lower middle market. Smaller owners are more likely to meet it through an add-on to a company it already owns, or through its growth strategy.
The firm often works with family and founder-owned companies. In 2025 it invested in Chex Finer Foods, a third-generation family business, with the CEO staying on, and the founders of Promix and First Day kept running their companies after its investment. Its two most recent exits went to a strategic buyer, BASF, and to another private equity firm, Truelink Capital. An owner should ask whether the firm wants control or a minority stake, and how long it expects to hold the business.
Questions owners ask
What size companies does Paine Schwartz buy?
For buyouts it looks for $10 million to more than $100 million of EBITDA and enterprise values of $100 million to $1 billion, and it invests $100 million to $300 million of equity. Growth deals are usually $50 million to $100 million, with room to start smaller.
Does Paine Schwartz invest in family-owned businesses?
Yes. The firm says it often partners with family-owned or family-run companies. In June 2025 it invested in Chex Finer Foods, a third-generation family-owned distributor founded in 1965, and the company's third-generation CEO stayed on to lead it.
Will Paine Schwartz take a minority stake?
Its investments are mostly control deals, but it says it can make minority investments when it has appropriate governance rights. In July 2026 it completed a structured minority investment in AMFRESH Group and its fruit breeding subsidiary BLOOM FRESH.
Who has Paine Schwartz sold companies to recently?
It sold AgBiTech, a biological crop protection company, to BASF Agricultural Solutions in a deal that closed on March 31, 2026, and it sold Lyons Magnus to the private equity firm Truelink Capital in July 2026.
Sources
- S1Paine Schwartz Partners home page Accessed October 22, 2026
- S2Paine Schwartz Partners: Our Strategy (platform investment characteristics) Accessed October 22, 2026
- S3Paine Schwartz Partners: Our Firm (firm overview as of December 31, 2025) Accessed October 22, 2026
- S4Paine Schwartz Partners: Portfolio (active and realized investments) Accessed October 22, 2026
- S5Paine Schwartz Partners Closes $1.7 Billion Food and Agribusiness-Focused Fund VI (September 26, 2023) Accessed October 22, 2026
- S6Paine & Partners Announces Name Change to Paine Schwartz Partners (February 9, 2017) Accessed October 22, 2026
- S7Paine Schwartz Partners Makes Strategic Investment in First Day (October 22, 2026) Accessed October 22, 2026
- S8Paine Schwartz Makes Strategic Investment in Chex Finer Foods (June 16, 2025) Accessed October 22, 2026
- S9Paine Schwartz Partners News Accessed October 22, 2026
Compiled by Greymont Advisors from public sources, including the firm’s own website and press releases. Greymont is not affiliated with Paine Schwartz Partners. Figures are as reported on the dates shown and may have changed. Request a correction