Jim Cramer often says that a breakup can unlock value. And he firmly believes that if you're shrewd, you can capture those gains.

"You may need to be patient, it may take a year, or two, or even three years for the breakup to really pay off," Cramer noted. However the Mad Money is confident that breakups lead to opportunity.

And he believes the way to profit is to closely examine the new companies that are created by the spin-off and then to "buy the strongest components," Cramer said.

"From there you hold on for the ride."

That's because "Breakups are good for the fundamentals of the businesses," Cramer explained. That is, a smaller company is often more nimble than a larger one. "Management can do a much better job of focusing resources and building a strategy that works," Cramer said.

Therefore, the Street is typically more willing to pay a premium for the stock.

From there, the new business may become the object of a takeover as a pure play on a particular industry or trend.

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Cramer believes the acquisition of Beam by Suntory this week is a classic example of this strategy at play.

As you may remember Beam was created in October 2011 as the company that remained after the former Fortune Brands spun off its home and security business.

At the time Cramer recommended the stock. As a pure play on liquor he felt the Street would find the business more valuable than before, when it was part of a larger company.

Sure enough since the spin-off shares have rallied substantially.

And then earlier this week, Suntory offered to acquire Beam for $83.50 a share, a 25% premium to its closing price at the time.

That, Cramer said, is value creation. It's also a textbook example that illustrates why Cramer scours the market looking for possible break-ups.

"Not only are break ups a clever way for companies to create value, they're also a great way for patient shareholders to generate big gains."

Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC

Questions for Cramer? madmoney@cnbc.com

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