US private equity firm KKR & Co has agreed to take a US$250 million stake in Vietnamese food and beverage company Masan Group, reports Bloomberg. US$150 million of the investment will go towards a 7.5% stake in Masan Nutri-Science, the company’s meat-producing business.
KKR’s previous investments in Masan Group, Vietnam’s biggest maker of fish sauce, total US$359 million.
A statement released by KKR noted that Vietnam’s fragmented meat sector offers opportunity for consolidation with the country’s leading producer holding less than 1% of market share.
Masan Nutri-Science aims to account for 5% of the country’s meat market by 2020.