Brown&Co represents Europe and Latin America in launch of new International Ag Alliance

The Alliance has been formed at a time of significant change in global agriculture and trade which will create new investment opportunities and challenges." Charles Whitaker, Managing Partner.

Brown&Co is representing Europe and Latin America as one of three founding partners of a new International Ag Alliance.

It has partnered with Peoples Company, experts in brokerage, investment and farmland management across the US market, and leading Australian agri-realtors LAWD, representing the Asia Pacific region.

The International Ag Alliance (IAA) sees the three firms collaborating as founding Partners. Their aim is to bring opportunities and value to clients, sharing skills, knowledge and insights to widen the market scope, services and expertise available to international investors looking for global farmland opportunities and value creation in a wider market, for both sellers and buyers of farmland.

Charles Whitaker, Managing Partner, Brown&Co, said: “It became clear during international work and interactions between our firms that Peoples Company, LAWD and ourselves were aligned on our attitudes and approach to the most important elements of international property transactions and management.

“The opportunity to turn our existing informal collaboration into a formal Alliance was one we all thought was too good to miss.

“The Alliance has been formed at a time of significant change in global agriculture and trade which will create new investment opportunities and challenges.

“The IAA widens the capability and reach of our respective firms to bring large capital allocations to meet those market opportunities/challenges, manage assets for capital allocators and bring farming opportunities to private clients too.  

He continued: “Ongoing succession challenges within the sector and the increasing scale of enterprise investment needs can  give rise to the need for additional, long term, patient capital to team up with best in class operational capability and we see the IAA as being able to facilitate that across our collective geography.”

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions in the agricultural sector are on the rise again. Over 800 deals were closed in the mid-1990s, doubling to 1,618 by 2017. 

The IAA members are well placed to support and resource such acquisitions wherever they may be. The appeal of farmland asset allocations as part of an investment portfolio is expected to rise further due to the sector’s potential to offer stable returns, diversification, an inflation hedge and long-term asset value opportunities in specific geographies and sectors.

Steve Bruere, President, Peoples Company, said: “As agriculture has become a global business, farming families and agri-business operations internationally often lack resources and insight to navigate and execute comprehensive farmland services.

“By bringing together highly respected firms from stable agricultural regions, we provide trusted expertise for those seeking to expand their agricultural operations in new markets.”

LAWD Chief Executive Enda Foley said that the increasing appeal of agriculture as a global asset was a key factor in driving the Alliance, with all three firms previously working closely together on international market opportunities.

“Over the past two years we have interacted with Peoples Company and Brown&Co, and it was clear that we all shared the same business values and objectives.

“Being formally aligned in a strong alliance avoided the complexity of global ownership structures and creates an optimal global ag investment collaboration platform to seamlessly connect our people and our clients.”

The IAA will promote responsible and sustainable land management through its support of clients through the process of asset appraisal, acquisition and management as well as aid them further in cross-border expansion, where applicable.

Each of the countries or regions represented by the Alliance is required to have a stable agricultural sector defined by political stability, economic resilience, favourable climate conditions, established infrastructure and a sound regulatory environment.

All three firms are committed to sharing critical insights and trends working under a shared vision of responsible and agricultural best practices with sustainability and innovation at the core.

For more information, please contact Charles Whitaker, Managing Partner, on 07768 465731 email caw@brown-co.com or 01603 629871 or Adam Oliver, Partner, on +48 606 418284 email a.oliver@brown-co.pl

IAA website

Global AgInvesting article