Rödl & Partner advises VERBIO North America LLC on its acquisition of South Bend Ethanol LLC

Atlanta, Georgia, 12 June 2023: Rödl & Partner advised VERBIO North America LLC (‘VNA’) on its acquisition of South Bend Ethanol LLC, an operating ethanol plant located in Indiana, from Mercuria Investments US., Inc.

VNA plans to invest more than $200 million into South Bend Ethanol LLC in the coming years to expand its operation into renewable natural gas production. The plant currently specializes in fermentation, distillation, dehydration, and denaturing processes using corn as the primary feedstock to generate ethanol and associated by-products.

The acquisition marks VNA’s second production facility in the United States, reinforcing their business presence and growth strategy in North America. VNA intends to develop the plant over the next three years incorporating VERBIO’s advanced engineering and operating technology practices.

Rödl & Partner's U.S. Transaction Services team led by Frank Breitenfeldt acted as the exclusive financial and tax advisor to VNA. Rödl & Partner's key service areas included buy-side financial and tax due diligence. The transaction was completed on May 1, 2023, respectively.

VERBIO, a prominent bioenergy manufacturer, operates numerous facilities worldwide and stands among the top independent industry leaders. VERBIO North America LLC (‘VNA’), with offices in Stamford, Connecticut, and Livonia, Michigan, is a subsidiary of VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG, which is based in Leipzig, Germany. In 2021, VERBIO North America LLC initiated operations in Nevada, Iowa, marking their first plant in the United States.

 

Frank Breitenfeldt, Partner (Transaction Services), Atlanta, Project Lead – Financial

Dennis Wieckert, Senior Principal (M&A Tax), Atlanta – Tax 

Kai Seidel, Manager (Transaction Services), Atlanta – Financial

Hagen Averbeck, Associate (Transaction Services), Atlanta – Financial