We started Castanea in 2001 to help entrepreneurs and management teams grow their businesses through a combination of capital and operating expertise.
We began by focusing on what we knew best, passion brands like those our family had owned and operated over multiple generations.
We learned the value of “investment with involvement” through our experience in our family enterprise. We’ve had to make payroll and manage all of the unglamorous challenges that don’t get discussed in board meetings. We understand that the path from creation to success is not a straight line and that passion and perseverance are critical to reaching your ultimate goals.
Since then, we’ve accumulated additional experience and insights by working with amazing founders and teams at great brands including Urban Decay, Fuze Beverage, Hanna Andersson, Essentia Water, Drybar, MacKenzie-Childs, and Simms Fishing.
Along the way, we’ve invested heavily in our firm.
We recognized several functional areas that are critical to the success of consumer brands and added talented operating executives to help our partner companies. Our team provides strategic and functional support in organizational development, finance, ecommerce, marketing and branding, supply chain, and IT infrastructure.
The majority of our investments have been growth stories where we partnered with founders and executives with whom we shared common visions, objectives, and beliefs. In supporting these leaders and their teams, we strive to find an optimal level of involvement, applying our experience and insights when and where they are most relevant.
Castanea began as a family investment office and a significant portion of our capital still comes from the partners and employees. Investing our own capital allows us to be patient when appropriate and aligns us with our management partners and investors. We are not deal junkies or financial engineers, and use debt conservatively in our investments. We’re brand enthusiasts who love working with our partners, finding solutions to tough challenges and building great, enduring businesses.