Exceptional Vietnamese chocolate maker Marou has agreed to take an external investment from a Private Equity fund, Mekong Capital. For those not familiar with the established fund, they have significant resources, at the time of writing believed to be circa $246m.
The amount of investment received from the fund is undisclosed, but the company plans to use the money to add to the board’s management team and grow both the number of stores, but also the range of products.
Private equity differs from Venture Capital in that those companies typically get involved in the management of the business, sometimes helping a successful business scale to a higher level using experienced executives. Marou was founded by two French men, Vincent Mourou and Samuel Maruta and has become a well-known name among chocolatiers worldwide.
Samuel’s recent unexpected passing – too early it must be said – must have left Vincent with a huge responsibility and burden to carry. I was on a forum with Vincent at the Chocoa 2021 festival where it was clear how much he loved and missed Samuel.
I truly hope that he has found good partners with Mekong Capital and that with their support Marou is able to realise their full potential and become everything that Vincent and Samuel have worked so hard to achieve.
