International Forest Products

IFP is a principal commodities-trading and logistics operation, not an investment fund. Revenue derives from the physical purchase, sale, and movement of forest products — containerboard, market pulp, recovered fiber, solid wood products, paperboard, and bio-energy feedstocks — executed on a principal basis. The firm earns a margin between mill supply pricing and converter demand pricing while layering in financing, freight, and credit services.

IFP and the New England Patriots are separate operating entities held under the Kraft Group, the family holding company. Robert Kraft founded IFP in 1972, generating the capital base he used to acquire the Patriots in 1994 and later finance the private construction of Gillette Stadium. Each asset — the trading business, the NFL franchise, and the stadium real estate — sits in a distinct entity with its own management and capital structure.

No. IFP operates as a family-controlled corporation deploying its own balance sheet and syndicated bank credit lines to fund trading activity. It does not run commingled investment funds, accept limited-partner commitments, or manage discretionary portfolios for external allocators. Third parties interact with IFP as suppliers, customers, or logistics counterparties rather than co-investors.

IFP books transactions across more than 100 countries, with particular density in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, where containerboard and recovered fiber demand supports high-volume, recurring trade lanes. Recent Managing Director appointments in Asia and the Middle East indicate a strategic focus on deepening origination and sales coverage in those regions. North America remains the firm's largest supply base.

The firm holds three third-party-verified certifications — FSC Chain of Custody (FSC-C022526), PEFC Chain of Custody (PBN-PEFC-COC-000461), and SFI Chain of Custody (PBN-SFI/COC-000461) — which are prerequisites for importing wood and fiber products into the EU and many Asian markets. IFP applies internal diligence consistent with industry best practices to verify that all timber products comply with applicable regulations and its own sourcing policies.

IFP maintains a syndicated credit facility with major international banks, many of whom the firm has banked with for decades. The firm insures its receivables through a third-party underwriter, a practice it has sustained for more than 30 years. This structure allows IFP to absorb supplier and customer credit risk, accept foreign-exchange exposure on behalf of mills, and extend trade financing on individual cargo movements.

Robert Kraft founded the company and remains the controlling shareholder through the Kraft Group. Day-to-day management rests with a veteran leadership team whose recent appointment of two new regional managing directors suggests continued professionalization and geographic expansion. The firm does not publicly detail its succession plan, but its 50th-anniversary milestone in 2022 underscores a transition toward next-generation operational leadership.