Driv Kapital Fund I has backed the founders and management in a management buyout of Olivia
Olivia was established in 2006, when three founders, Drueklasen, opened their first restaurant at Aker Brygge in Oslo. Since then, Olivia has become an iconic brand in the Norwegian restaurant scene and expanded across Norway and throughout the Nordics. Today, Olivia consists of 17 restaurants in Norway, Sweden and Finland.
Olivia was acquired by Herkules Capital in 2015 who has led the company through its expansion phase from 3 to 18 restaurants. Following deep impact from covid and cost inflation during the rapid cross border expansion, the profitability margins of Olivia has decreased over the last couple of years. In 2023, Adriano Capoferro was brought in as the new CEO on a mission to turn around Olivia and return to historic profitability. Together with Capoferro, Drueklasen, key management and industry experts, Driv Kapital has acquired Olivia to continue this journey.
Under this new partnership, Olivia will seek to fine-tune the operations of the existing restaurant base to build a strong platform for new value creating growth.
The closing of the transaction took place in July 2024.