The Bristol office of national law firm Bond Dickinson has advised specialist investor Piper Private Equity on a £7m investment deal with Propercorn, the fast-growing, low-calorie popcorn brand.
Piper, a longstanding client of Bond Dickinson, was joined in the deal by JamJar, the investment vehicle for the three founders of Innocent Drinks. 
Propercorn was founded in 2011 by Cassandra Stavrou, the recent winner of the New Generation Award at the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Awards, and former sustainable property development director Ryan Kohn.
Their first customer was the café at Google’s iconic London headquarters, where it immediately became the most popular snack from 48 alternatives.
Since then, Propercorn has become one of the fastest-selling snack brands in the UK and now sells more than 3m bags of its award-winning popcorn a month. Based in Islington, north London, it has 15,000 stockists, including Selfridges and Waitrose.
The £7m investment is its first major injection of funds and will support its UK and international growth ambitions.
As part of the deal, Adam Balon, co-founder of JamJar and Innocent, will join as chairman. 
Bond Dickinson Bristol corporate finance partner Simon Hewes, pictured, who led on the deal, said: “Piper is the leading specialist consumer investor and we are delighted to advise them on this latest investment which will make a huge difference to Propercorn and allow them to act on their growth ambitions.”
Simon Hewes’ team has advised Piper on a wide range of investments over recent years, many of them with links to Bristol and the West of England, including casual clothing firm Weird Fish, soft drink manufacturer Bottlegreen, Turtle Bay restaurants, Loungers café-bars, Orlebar Brown designer swimwear and Hickory’s Smokehouse.
Piper co-founder Libby Gibson said: “Propercorn is a fantastic brand, delivering innovative new products and flavours that meet a growing market need for healthier and more interesting snacking options, led by an outstandingly passionate, creative and commercial team.
“We are delighted to be partnering with JamJar for the first time in backing Propercorn. We believe our combined resources will provide the brand with a unique source of expertise and experience for its next stage of growth.”
Bond Dickinson’s team of corporate finance and banking lawyers advises private equity firms, investee companies, management teams and debt providers on private equity transactions, including growth and development capital, as well as management buyouts.
