SOUTH BEND, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ceres Partners announced today the appointments of Nick Schupbach and Justin Lott to Managing Director and Director, Private Equity, respectively. Schupbach and Lott join Ceres Partners from their roles as co-founders of Appia Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on agriculture, water, and water rights.
In their new roles, Schupbach and Lott will help lead the firm’s private equity strategy, including the growth of its existing portfolio of food and agriculture investments alongside the development of water resource investment opportunities across the United States.
Perry Vieth, Founder and CEO of Ceres Partners, said: “We are excited to welcome Nick and Justin to Ceres Partners. They are proven investors with expertise in agriculture and water investments, and this range of experience will allow them to expand our investment capabilities and add value to our agriculture-and-food-focused private equity solutions.”
Brandon Zick, Chief Investment Officer of Ceres Partners, commented: “We worked with Nick and Justin over the years on our farmland fund, and came to appreciate their diligence, integrity, and insightful views on the future of investing in natural resources. This work dovetails with our existing private equity strategy, and I expect they will bring immediate value to our team and our investors.”
Through his career, Schupbach has developed extensive experience sourcing and underwriting natural resources investments across water rights, farmland, and timber, with an ancillary focus on carbon. Schupbach became an active investor in water rights after he began researching water rights markets in 2008. He has authored four white papers on investing in this sector.
Nick Schupbach said: “I’m thrilled to join Ceres Partners. The firm has an impressive track record and exceptional network, and we align on the right way to invest in agriculture-related private equity and water rights. Ceres Partners’ network of farmers gives us insight into market trends that we can pair with our investing experience and research to create attractive portfolios across these sectors, and I’m excited to help lead this effort.”
Lott brings 20 years of investment experience to Ceres both up and down the capital structure and across both liquid and private markets. Lott has developed extensive experience in water, agriculture, transportation, and other ag-related industries and has served on the board of several agricultural companies.
Justin Lott said: “I am excited to join Ceres Partners and I see water as a common link between the investment focus of our two firms. I have great respect for the Ceres team and believe that our combined experience will lead to better outcomes for investors in both the water and agricultural private equity strategies that we will manage.”
Ceres Partners’ private equity portfolio consists of early to mid-stage growth companies positioned to disrupt or enhance traditional food and agricultural businesses and solve large-scale problems. The Ceres private equity funds accompany Ceres Farms, a $1.7 billion AUM farmland fund.
About Ceres Partners
Ceres Partners is a specialist investment manager focused on food, agriculture, and most recently, water resources. Ceres Partners manages two investment vehicles with distinct strategies and investment objectives: Ceres Farms, LLC which invests in U.S. farmland, and Ceres Private Equity that invests in emerging food and agriculture businesses. For more information on Ceres Partners, visit cerespartners.com.
