When Andrew and Mandy Treleaven decided they wanted to sell their successful ice cream company, they had full confidence in using Stephens Scown LLP to broker the deal.
“One of the fantastic things about Stephens Scown is the number of specialist sectors their solicitors are qualified to advise on” says Andrew Treleaven who continues to help manage operations at theEast Looe-based company. “With their dedicated food and drink team, I had the assurance they would understand the sensitivities involved in selling this type of firm.
“We’d received a serious offer of investment for the firm – in other words someone was keen to buy the business. Stephens Scown helped to negotiate the best deal for us as well as making sure we could maintain involvement in the business.”
The additional resource provided by the new owners has resulted in the leasing of new working space which has led to increased production and further opportunities outside of the Westcountry.
He adds, “We’re a local company, and that has always been at the heart of our business. We source the majority of our ingredients from the South West so it was really important, when choosing our legal support, that we have a local firm which understands the value of our brand’s Cornish heritage.”
Andrew is keen to highlight the bonuses of selling, “I’m helping to develop the future of the business which is a nice step back from overseeing all executive decisions as well. My wife is able to concentrate on the area of the business she is most passionate about – flavour development – so we’re both really happy with our decision to sell. The fact that Stephens Scown made the process so smooth significantly adds to our satisfaction.”
Scott Mitchell, partner and commercial property team leader in Stephens Scown’s St. Austell office advised on the deal, helping to complete the business sale agreement, “I was delighted to support such a well-respected local business. It’s fantastic to see how well Mandy and Andrew have embraced the recent changes – I hope it’s a true reflection that we contributed to the deal being completed successfully.”
Andrew, who has been a client of Stephens Scown for nearly 25 years says, “The team there make sense. They don’t confuse you with ‘legalese’ and always explain matters carefully and in detail. In short, they’re pragmatic and very easy to work with. I have no reservations in recommending them to friends, family and business associates and will continue to employ the firm as my legal advisors. In fact, I’m currently using their property team for another deal.”
Treleavens is a traditional Westcountry business, producing luxury, hand-made ice cream using local ingredients. Using an artisan method, they are one of the few Cornish producers to have won the prestigious Triple Gold for their Salty Peanut ice cream at the Great British Taste Awards 2011.
With a dedicated team of six, the company counts both Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver as clients and has a highly regarded reputation in the area. The mouth-watering flavours on offer range from a traditional vanilla ice cream to a Campari and Clementine sorbet.
Andrew says, “We’ve been making ice cream for ten years and I’m tremendously proud of our products. We’re constantly developing new flavours and working to increase awareness of our brand. Our focus now is to maintain the high level of quality we’ve achieved and basically continue to do what we’re doing already! ”
Stephens Scown has a specialist team of lawyers able to serve the needs of food and drink producers across the South West. The team are able to share knowledge, connections and experience across the three offices inExeter,Truroand St Austell.
Head of the food and drink team, Simon Gawler says: “We take the time to get to know our clients and we understand the issues they face. It means we can pool our knowledge and experience and be more proactive coming up with ways to help.”
For more information about Treleavens Ice Cream visit www.treleavens.co.uk.
Scott Mitchell and Simon Gawler at Stephens Scown can be contacted on 01392 210700.
