Pierre-Alexandre Degehet, Partner at BSP, assisted by Kateryna Nevmerzhytska, Associate, has acted as Luxembourg counsel supporting ING Bank N.V. and a group of international banks on the successful closing of a US$500m sustainability-linked senior secured borrowing base financing to Geneva-based coffee trader Sucafina.
The borrowing base facility was significantly oversubscribed and subsequently upsized to US$500 million being the initial launch size of US$400m, with commitments received from a group of 16 European, American and Asian banks. The financing will be used to refinance Sucafina’s existing two-year US$300m senior secured borrowing base facility, originally dated October 2017.
Along with an existing Brazilian syndicated borrowing base and bilateral loans, the facility will finance the group’s trading operations in the coming years.
Since 2019, the flagship facility includes a sustainability framework. In 2021, Key Performance Indicators now focus on increasing the number of certified farmers, as well as taking measures to reduce the carbon footprint and deforestation in coffee-producing countries.
ING Bank N.V. acted as sole bookrunner, coordinator and documentation agent in the syndication and will act as facility agent for the financing.
Hogan Lovells acted as lead counsel on behalf of the banks with a multi-jurisdictional team across six offices and worked alongside correspondent counsel at Lydian CV (Belgium), Froriep LLP (Switzerland), BSP | Bonn Steichen & Partners (Luxembourg), Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Ontario and British Columbia), and Jadek & Pensa (Slovenia).
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