Kingswood Capital Management, LP (together with its affiliates, “Kingswood”) announced today that it has completed a strategic investment in Soulshine Farms, LLC & Pearl River Foods (“Soulshine Farms” or “the Company”), a leading provider of poultry further-processing solutions. All three founders, Michael Farmer, Eric Reeves, and Drew Hill, will remain shareholders and hold executive leadership roles at the Company. Effective at closing of the transaction, protein industry veteran and Kingswood Operating Partner John Niemann will assume the role of the Company’s Executive Chairman.
Founded in 2018, Soulshine Farms is a leading poultry processing company specializing in portioning and deboning, marination and packaging, and custom sizing and shaping. Soulshine Farms produces value-added poultry products for leading national foodservice brands, retail, and other protein distribution channels. The Company processes over 6 million pounds of protein weekly through its three processing plants, totaling 185,000 square feet of production space spread in Gainesville, Georgia and Carthage, Mississippi.
“In Kingswood, we found an operationally focused partner willing to work alongside us to invest in the business, while preserving the qualities that we believe make Soulshine Farms unique and give us a competitive advantage,” said Michael Farmer, Eric Reeves, and Drew Hill. “With Kingswood’s investment, we’re looking forward to our next chapter of growth while continuing to deliver the quality and reliability that our customers have come to expect. Our success has always been driven by the dedication of our employees and the culture we’ve built together, and we look forward to welcoming Kingswood as our new partner.”
“Michael, Eric, and Drew have built an impressive company dedicated to producing high-quality products with top-tier customer service,” said Andrew Kovach, Partner at Kingswood. “We have a shared vision for the future, and we’re looking forward to partnering with the entire Soulshine Farms team, bringing in resources and operational expertise to expand its capacity and capabilities to support continued growth with their customers.”
“We saw an opportunity in Soulshine Farms that was right out of our playbook–a founder-led company with strong fundamentals, a solid market position, and a loyal customer base–seeking its first institutional capital,” added Alex Wolf, Founder and Managing Partner of Kingswood. “By working with the founders and John Niemann, a seasoned Kingswood operating partner with deep experience in the industry, we see significant growth potential ahead for the company and an ability to capitalize on favorable protein market tailwinds.”
This represents Kingswood’s seventh investment in the food and beverage sector, and its second protein-focused asset, seeking to further strengthen the firm’s leadership and operational expertise in the space. It also represents Kingswood’s latest investment in a founder-led company, underscoring the firm’s continued commitment to partnering with founders to drive growth. Notably, Kingswood was named to Inc. Magazine’s 2025 List of Founder-Friendly Investors.
Barclays served as exclusive buyside advisor to Kingswood in connection with the transaction. Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Kingswood. JGH Consulting advised Soulshine Farms on the transaction.
About Soulshine Farms, LLC
Soulshine Farms is a dynamic, quality‑driven poultry processing company founded in 2018 and based in Gainesville, Georgia. The Company has rapidly established itself as a leader in further processing, operating state‑of‑the‑art facilities that produce millions of pounds of sized poultry protein products weekly and offering value‑added solutions tailored to customer needs. Soulshine Farms is committed to exceeding expectations by delivering innovative, high‑quality products through safe, dependable operations and building strong, long‑lasting relationships with national foodservice brands, retail, and other protein distribution channels. With a focus on exceptional food safety standards, customer service, and a dedicated team of experienced professionals, the Company aims to be a trusted partner in the protein supply chain. For more information, please refer to the Soulshine Farms website at www.soulshinefarms.net.
About Kingswood Capital Management, LP
Kingswood Capital Management, LP, partners with leading companies in the middle market which stand to benefit from its capital and extensive operating resources. Kingswood embraces complexity and believes it is well-positioned to support businesses at inflection points in their development to enhance value. Based in Los Angeles, Kingswood is a cohesive, entrepreneurial team with a long history of shared success developing “win-win” partnerships with its portfolio companies and management teams. For more information, please refer to the Kingswood website at www.kingswood-capital.com.
Legal Disclosure
Kingswood submitted an application and paid an application fee to be considered with Inc. Magazine’s 2025 List of Founder-Friendly Investors. The entry process involved contacting past or present founders from Kingswood’s investment portfolio to ask them about their experience partnering with Kingswood. Private equity and venture capital firms that have exited U.S.-based, founder-led, portfolio companies since January 1, 2020, were eligible to apply.
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