Arbor Investments (“Arbor”), a specialized private equity firm that focuses exclusively on acquiring premier companies in food, beverage and related industries, announced today the hiring of Christopher Tuffin as Partner in the firm’s New York office. He will be responsible for deal origination, transaction execution and portfolio management as a member of Arbor’s Investment Team.

Tuffin joins Arbor from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (“BofAML”), where he was a Director in the Consumer & Retail Investment Banking group’s New York office with a focus on the food and beverage sector. He advised a variety of mid- and large-cap consumer clients on a full range of M&A, debt and equity financing transactions, including advising Arbor on its $850 million sale of Columbus Craft Meats to Hormel in 2017. Prior to BofAML, Tuffin was a Director in KPMG’s Transaction Service Group, having worked in their London and New York offices, advising corporate and private equity clients on financial and commercial diligence matters in connection with M&A transactions principally in the Consumer & Retail space.

Arbor Co-Founder and CEO Gregory Purcell said, “Arbor has had an excellent relationship with Chris, having worked closely with him for several years at BofAML. We’ve seen firsthand his innate ability to understand consumer businesses and match buyers and sellers together to produce highly successful transactions. We believe this experience will transfer well to private equity and make Chris a valuable addition to our team.”

Tuffin will join Arbor Partner Chris Harned in the New York office, which Arbor opened with the hiring of Harned in 2016. “With the addition of Chris Tuffin, we are strengthening our New York presence,” commented Arbor Co-Founder and President Joseph Campolo. “We now have two seasoned industry professionals with deep consumer expertise actively plugged into the market to tell our story and produce additional opportunities for Arbor.”

“I have known Arbor for many years and had the benefit of seeing the firm in action while working together on the Columbus sale process,” said Tuffin. “I am truly excited to be a part of this dynamic team and look forward to increasing the firm’s presence and brand in New York.”