Kainos Capital has acquired Patten Seed Holdings, which does business as Super-Sod, from Heartwood Partners and affiliated investors, marking a change in ownership for the landscaping products company. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Super-Sod supplies sod, seed, soil, and landscaping products across the southern United States through a vertically integrated network of farms, retail locations, and an e-commerce platform. The company serves both professional landscapers and homeowners through what the company described as an omnichannel model.
The deal follows a period of expansion under Heartwood Partners’ ownership. During that time, Super-Sod invested in automation, production capacity, enterprise software, digital marketing, and e-commerce capabilities. The company also completed five acquisitions in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, widening its geographic reach. Ben Copeland, CEO, Super-Sod said:
"Heartwood Partners has been a great partner to Super-Sod throughout this journey. They believed in our team and invested their resources and support behind us. Together, we built a much larger, technologically advanced, and geographically diverse organization, and I’m proud of what we accomplished together. We are excited for our next stage of growth with Kainos Capital who has a focus on helping businesses like ours scale aggressively through organic initiatives as well as complementary acquisitions."
Kainos Capital said it plans to back Super-Sod’s next phase of growth through organic expansion and additional acquisitions. Jeff Moredock, Partner, Kainos Capital shared these remarks:
"Ben and his management team have built a differentiated platform in the landscaping solutions industry. Given our experience creating strategic value with similar business models, we believe Kainos, as a result of our industry relationships, operating capabilities and capital base, is well-suited to help management quickly expand Super-Sod’s leadership position through attractive add-on acquisitions, product innovation, geographic expansion, and new retail distribution."
Partners Capital invested alongside Kainos and served as lead co-investor in the transaction. Advisers on the transaction included Baird as financial advisor and Weil, Gotshal & Manges as legal advisor to Kainos Capital. Harris Williams served as financial advisor, and Finn Dixon & Herling acted as legal advisor to Super-Sod, Heartwood Partners, and its investors.
