Mishcon de Reya's Private Equity team has acted for founders Nico Jacquart and Oliver Mernick-Levine of international food tour business Secret Food Tours and Pembroke VCT on a sale of a minority stake to Harwood Private Capital.  
Launched in 2013, the business began life organising pub crawls before the founders decided they could build a bigger business showcasing food. They each designed a tour around their favourite hidden spots, taking in restaurants, shops and markets.
Secret Food Tours now provides more than 200 tours in 80 cities and expects to take 300,000 customers on culinary experiences this year. The company hit sales of £17.9 million in 2024, growing at such a pace that it was recognised on The Sunday Times 100 ranking of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies.
The Mishcon de Reya team was led by Nadim Meer with support from Associates Karine Bashardurst and Will Plumb. Additional support was provided from the Mishcon Tax and Employment teams including Stephen Elhabbal, Eve Drysdale and John Skoulding, Margarita Elia and India Coultas. 
Nadim Meer commented: "Oli and Nico have created a spectacular business – I say this from experience, having done their tours and loved them! The way they have managed to grow the business following Covid is testament to their exceptional talents. We were incredibly happy to have been chosen to work with them and even happier to have helped them bring it to a successful completion." 
Oliver Mernick-Levine, Co-founder of Secret Food Tours, commented "We carried out a wide–ranging search when it came to legal advisors for this transaction. Mishcon’s Private Equity team stood apart. No-one offers what they do. Their combination of market insight and independence means they have a unique offering. We knew they would have our back throughout the process. And when it mattered most, they delivered." 
Related coverage:
The Times