Akin Advises Merisant Company in Acquisition by Flavors Holdings Inc.

(New York) – Akin Gump advised Merisant Company on a transaction that closed today in which Merisant was acquired by Flavors Holdings Inc. Flavors is the parent of Mafco Worldwide Corporation, a manufacturer of licorice extract and related derivatives, and is also an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc.

Merisant is the manufacturer of several of the world’s leading tabletop sweeteners, including Equal, Canderel and Pure Via. It was previously majority-owned by Wayzata Investment Partners LLC, a long-time Akin Gump client. 

Daniel Fisher, a partner in Akin Gump’s corporate practice, led the deal team representing Merisant, working alongside corporate counsel Iain Wood. Others involved included antitrust and unfair competition partner Paul Hewitt; tax partner Howard Jacobson and senior counsel Louis Zivot; executive compensation, employee benefits and ERISA partner Rolf Zaiss and counsel Nyron Persaud; intellectual property senior counsel David Lee; and corporate associate Michael Bonsignore.

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 attorneys in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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