FoodAgribusiness Biofuels Globally

boston • st. louis

HighQuest’s advisors leverage their deep industry experience and functional expertise to help leading companies, investors and multilateral and tradeorganizations make informed decisions regarding their strategies, investments and policies in the global food, agribusiness and biofuels sectors.

• Global strategies for investment in farmland and ag infrastructure

• Transportation and logistic analysis• Due diligence review• Growth and turnaround strategies• New product development • Technology assessment • Capture of additional value from new

processing systems and new products • Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures

and strategic alliances• Customized industry research

HighQuest Partnersstrategic advisory and management consulting services

Areas of Specialization

strategy and operations management• Global supply and demand and trade

flow analyses (commodity crops)

• Crop origination and pricing analyses (grains, oilseeds and byproducts)

• Transportation and logistic analyses (commodity crops)

• Market entry strategies (development and execution)

• Marketing and operational assessment of new technologies (new seed traits and innovative processing technologies in the biofuels sector)

• Feasibility studies and risk analyses (crushing plants and ethanol/biodiesel and renewable diesel facilities)

corporate finance• Advising financial investors (hedge

funds, endowments, pensions and sovereign wealth funds) on their portfolio strategies for investing in crop land and ag infrastructure either directly or via fund managers

• Due diligence review

• Negotiation of financial transactions

• Advising clients with innovative technologies and strategies on raising capital to finance expansion

research services• Customized and syndicated reports

on a range of topical issues regarding trends in agricultural production, food processing and biofuels production

• Providing fact-based analysis of market trends and developments to multilateral and trade organizations to inform policy making decisions which will promote sustainable growth in crop and animal protein production

We operate out of offices in Boston, Massachusetts and St. Louis, Missouri.

The firm has successfully completed over 250 engagements for executive leadership teams of major global companies and investment groups in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

We have developed an impressive track record of long-term relationships with our clients: the average client having completed over five projects with our firm.

HighQuest’s subsidiary, Soyatech(www.soyatech.com), is the premier research provider, publisher and event organizer for the global oilseed and grains industry. It manages major industry events, including:

• Global Soybean and Grain Transport/Soya & Oilseed Summit which brings participants from across the global oilseed and grain value chains together annually to discuss key trends in the industry and to network for trading opportunities;

• Global AgInvesting conference series which addresses the opportunities and challenges of investing in the agricultural sector, including farmland and ag infrastructure;

• Soy Innovation regional conferences which address opportunities to develop a soybean value chain in emerging markets.

These conferences, which are developed and chaired by members of our advisory team, provide unparalleled access to key executives and investors active in the food, agribusiness and biofuels sectors globally.

About HighQuest Partnershighquest has served corporations, investors, industry trade associations, governmental agencies and ngos to ensure their success in fast changing global markets since 2000.

collectively, our advisors have senior industry experience including management responsibility for line operations and corporate strategy development with

multi-national corporations and have worked in more than 25 countries.

boston • st. louis

biotechnology• Advised a leading biotech seed company on how

to capture sustainable value in the launch of new output traits for improved functionality in both the oil and protein product streams and provided insights on price elasticity for traits used in a range of food and industrial applications.

crop land and ag infrastructure investment• Advised a European pension fund on its strategy

to expand and diversify its alternative asset portfolio to include investments in farmland and ag infrastructure, including assessment of risk/return for certain crops and regions and selection of fund managers.

oilseed processing• Conducted a comprehensive due diligence review

of a Greenfield 3,000 MT/day multi-oilseed crush and oil refining facility on behalf of an institutional investor leading a syndication providing debt financing for the project.

grain origination• Advised a multinational trading company on

the volume of corn it could originate in the U.S. Western Corn Belt for export to Asia via the PNW.

• Advised a Japanese general trading company on the various options it had to originate Canadian malting barley for export to Japan and China.

biofuels• Advised a large U.S. farm cooperative, which is

also a major petroleum refiner and marketer, on its decision as to whether or not pursue an investment in a Greenfield biodiesel facility using a wide range of alternative feedstocks.

• Advised a European refiner on strategies for sourcing feedstocks for renewable diesel production.

feasibility study • Developed a comprehensive feasibility study

for a large Asian general trading firm developing a Greenfield deep-water port and oilseed crushing complex in a major Southeast Asian market.

examples of engagements we have recently completed for our clients

Risks and Opportunities

companies, investors and multilateral and trade organizations operating and investing in and setting policy for the global food, agribusiness and biofuels sectors, are facing unprecedented challenges and volatility which present both risks and opportunities:

• emergence of investment in farmland and ag infrastructure as a alternative asset class

• consolidation of industry players across the value chain • globalization of trade • rising and volatile energy prices • climate change • heightened concerns over food security • logistics bottlenecks resulting from

inadequate transportation infrastructures • demographic growth in the developing world placing

demands on food, feed, fiber and fuel • aging populations in the developed world placing a

premium on health and wellness and • diminishing resources (including “the new carbon” – water)

and arable land in prime crop production regions of the world

highquest advisors leverage their industry expertise, management experience and understanding of these trends to help leaders and their senior management teams make informed decisions on the opportunities and challenges they face in the following sectors of the food to bioenergy value chain:

food • production (commodity crops, organic production) • processing ( functional and specialty ingredients) • distribution and logistics • marketing and branding • retail food and consumer packaged goods agribusiness • Investment in farmland and ag infrastructure • biotechnology • crop chemicals and fertilizers • equipment and precision agriculture • animal feed, pet food and biomaterials biofuels • ethanol (derived from food crops and biomass) • biodiesel (multiple feedstocks) • clean technologies (commercialization of

waste streams and by-products)

In collaboration with our subsidiary Soyatech, the authoritative source for news, market research and conferences for the global soy and oilseed industry, HighQuest’s advisors leverage their industry expertise and extensive network of industry contacts to provide our clients with unique insights into issues and trends that are likely to have a significant impact on the food to bioenergy value chain in the future.

HighQuest’s Clientsfrom ‘field to plate’ and ‘field to fuel’

Clean Technologies

HQP COVERAGE

FeedstockMultiple waste streams(focus on organicmaterials).

ProcessingMunicipal systems;Crop, livestock andpoultry production;Food processing;Major food retailers.

DistributionMunicipalities; Retailers.

HQP COVERAGE

FeedstockCorn; Sugar cane;Biomass.

Vegetable oils;Animal fat, tallowand yellow grease;Other feedstocks.

Vegetable oils, tropicaloils, 2nd generationcellulosic andother biomass.

TransportationTrucking; Rail; Barges;Ocean-going vessels.

Trucking; Rail; Barges;Ocean-going vessels.

Trucking; Rail; Barges;Ocean-going vessels.

RefineriesCo-product production(ethanol and DDGs).

Co-product production(biodiesel and glycerin)

Various co-productstreams dependingon feedstock andprocesses used.

TransportationTrucking; Pipelines;Rail; Barges; Ocean-going vessels

Trucking; Pipelines;Rail; Barges; Ocean-going vessels.

Trucking; Pipelines;Rail; Barges; Ocean-going vessels.

BlendingFuel distributors;Petroleum refineries.

Fuel distributors;Petroleum refineries.

Wide range of industrialapplications replacingraw materials derivedfrom petroleumfeedstocks which leadsto improved functionalityand performance,more sustainableproduction processes,reduced environmentfootprint and lowerreliance on importedenergy.

DistributionTrucking.

Trucking.

RetailGas Stations.

Gas Stations.

Field to FuelEthanol Biodiesel Industrial

Field to Plate

HQP COVERAGE

AgriculturalProductionGrains and oilseeds;Livestock and poultry;Biomaterials; Services(ex. insurance); Cropinputs (fertilizers,fungicides andpesticides);Investmentin crop land.

Handling & Storage Trucking; Rail; Barge;Air transport; Ocean-going vessels; Inlandgrain storage; Riverand deepwater ports;Loading and unloadingfacilities; Investmentin ag infrastructure.

Primary Processors Milling; Oilseedcrushing; Abbatoirs;Industrial processing.

SecondaryProcessors Value-added processing;Functional ingredients;Nutraceuticals.

Food Processors Branded packagedgoods; Private label;Cosmetics;Pharmaceuticals.

DistributionLogistic services;Transport; Brokers;Specialized distributors.

Food Service/Retail OutletsInstitutional and for-profit foodservice; Caterers;Quick serve restaurants;High end restaurants;Mass merchandisers;Supermarkets; Foodand drug; Specialityretailers; Internet andmail order.

TechnologyGenomics; Proteomics;Nanotechnology; Microescapsulation; Conventional breeding;Bioinformatics.

The sectors we serve in the food to bioenergy value chain include:

What We Offer• Specialization in the global food,

agribusiness and biofuels sectors.

• Deep understanding of the emerging crop land and ag infrastructure asset class and the criteria used by institutional investors when evaluating opportunities to commit capital in this sector.

• Deep experience in projecting supply and demand, pricing forecasts and global trade flows and addressing transportation and logistics issues for commodity crops.

• Experience working across the food to bioenergy value chain from crop production

to food processing and biofuels production and distribution.

• Recognition within the industry as a trusted resource for unbiased and accurate information and providing insightful strategic and actionable advice.

to find out how highquest can assist you, please contact us at:(978) 887-8800 / info@highquestpartners.com / www.highquestpartners.com