Gerber Finance launched Naturally Gerber Finance, the company’s newly formed division focused on the natural products market. The division will work with companies within the natural products space, from clean label, organic and non-GMO products to sustainable design and packaging.
Andrew Hollingsworth, former Gerber client and CFO at Numi Organic Tea, who was hired by Gerber Finance earlier this year, will helm the new division after helping establish the company’s West Coast headquarters.
“Having worked with Andrew first as a client and experiencing first hand his deep breadth of knowledge in both finance and natural products made him an ideal leader for this new arm of our business,” Jennifer Palmer, CEO of Gerber Finance, said. “[He] brings an understanding of our clients that only someone who has literally walked in their shoes can bring.”
Gerber Finance has worked with more than two dozen clients in the natural products space, including:
- Food and beverage: 18 Rabbits, Cook San Francisco, Designer Protein, Farmhouse Culture, JSO Associates, M2 Ingredients, Madelaine Chocolate Novelties, Mikey’s, Numi, Zero Odor
- Equipment and Appliances: Habco, M Powered
- Health and Beauty: Coola, Pure Sun Defense
- Wine and Spirits: Oriel Wines, Swish Beverages
- Packaging: Stasher Bags’
- Service: Choice Logistics
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“We started working with Gerber Finance based on a referral from a private equity firm we work with based on their flexibility and the level of partnership they provide,” Scott Lerner, CEO of Farmhouse, said. “We were immediately impressed with their depth of industry knowledge and insights into the opportunities and challenges that face our fast-growing industry. We were even more impressed, after just a short period of time, that they have become a true partner vested in our growth versus a company just supplying financial resources.”
“Working within the natural products industry as a CFO, I quickly learned that an entrepreneurial company with collateral could monetize to help grow to the next level more easily with asset-based lending,” Hollingworth said. “The flexibility that Gerber provides, understanding that seasonality is a natural part of the market, along with the personal, hands-on consultative approach, won me over. And I am now able to help other companies benefit from the Gerber financial offering.”
