This article was displayed on the ChosunBiz MoneyMove (MM) site at 4:29 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2026.
Tigris Investment, a new technology financing firm under the Deoksan Group, has moved to accelerate consumer-goods buyouts. Early this year, it teamed up with Meritz Securities to acquire the operator of the diffuser brand "Hetras," and it is understood to have also bought the operator of a dessert brand that gained popularity with "Heart Tiramisu."
According to the investment banking (IB) industry on the 7th, Tigris Investment acquired From Golden Piece (now Heart Piece), the operator of Heart Tiramisu, in the first half and became the new largest shareholder. It acquired the entire equity in From Golden Piece held by co-founders including Lee Sang-yeop and Kim Dong-jun and early investors for about 20 billion won.
From Golden Piece launched in January 2023 as a separate entity operating a dessert franchise created by the founders of LBM, the operator of London Bagel Museum. After rolling out a yakgwa brand and a tiramisu brand in succession, it was put up for sale when a "founders' noncompete" kicked in following the sale of LBM to JKL Partners.
Tigris Investment is said to have focused on From Golden Piece's scalability. At the time of sale, From Golden Piece rapidly built recognition among younger consumers with Heart Tiramisu, a dessert topped with a breakable slab of chocolate, and secured placements not only at major domestic department stores but also at duty-free shops.
Golden Piece, the yakgwa brand introduced before Heart Tiramisu, also gained popularity when singer G-Dragon used it as the dessert for a collaboration event with Nike. With a cheesecake brand now added, the company posted 20.9 billion won in revenue and 5.7 billion won in operating profit last year.
Analysts say Tigris Investment, launched to supply capital to innovative companies and support their growth, has designated consumer-goods buyouts as a new growth engine. In particular, brands with consumer recognition tend to have steady cash flow and pricing power, making it easier to defend profitability.
Earlier, Tigris Investment also acquired control of Sooksook Company together with the Meritz Securities private equity (PE) team. Sooksook Company is a lifestyle consumer-goods firm that grew rapidly with the diffuser brand Hetras. Last year, it recorded 84.6 billion won in sales and 23.8 billion won in operating profit.
Meanwhile, Tigris Investment is an investment firm established with 20 billion won in paid-in capital from the Deoksan Group, a specialist in semiconductor and display materials, with Deoksan Holdings, the group's holding company, owning 47.88% equity. The company had mainly invested minority equity stakes in early-stage corporations in the materials, parts and equipment (MPE) sector.