The Costa family office: CostaAM

The family of distributors and exporters of fruit and vegetables

Anthony and Robert Costa are the heads of a dynasty of fruit and vegetable distributors and exporters and the heirs to one of Australia’s largest food companies, the Costa Group. The original Costa family business was founded by Francesco Costa, an Italian wine producer who emigrated to Australia in the late 19th century. In 1926, his son Tony opened a fruit shop in Warrnambool and later a fruit and vegetable wholesale business in Geelong. By the 1980s, the Costa Group had grown into one of Australia’s largest fresh produce distributors. Finally, in 2011, Robert and Anthony Costa took their company public and it is now listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). In the same year, they established the Costa Family Office, Costa Asset Management Pty Ltd, to manage the family’s wealth.

The investment focus of Costa Asset Management

The Costa family has diversified its assets by setting up its own family office. Costa Asset Management (CAM) invests in real estate, venture capital, private equity, fixed-income and securities-backed lending. Key investments include IDL, an Australian beverage solutions provider or GO.FARM. GO-Farm is an Australian agricultural investor, developer, and manager. ProTerra Properties is a US property investor and developer. CAM also has venture capital investments such as Lovely Banks, LAB Group and Essentis. Essantis is a food and agribusiness company specializing in the production of oats, pulse-based foods and food ingredients. Finally, the Costa family manages its philanthropic activities through its family office. The Anthony Costa Foundation focuses on helping children, providing housing, and supporting local communities.

Picture Source: Getty Images via Unsplash