Roland Foods Acquires ifiGOURMET
Roland Foods LLC, a specialty food purveyor and portfolio company of Vestar Capital Partners, has acquired ifiGOURMET, a global importer and master distributor of gourmet products for professional use in the bakery, pastry, confectionery and ice cream industries. Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.
ifiGOURMET will be combined with AUI Fine Foods, Roland’s sweet division, and ifiGOURMET owner and CEO Rick Brownstein will remain with the company.
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“This strategic acquisition will strengthen AUI Fine Foods’ footprint in the key Chicago and San Francisco markets and expands our sweet product offering, which will allow us to better serve existing and new customers nationwide,” noted Keith Dougherty, CEO of New York-based Roland, which offers a curated portfolio of 2,400-plus products sourced worldwide. “We believe tremendous opportunities exist in the gourmet food and ingredients market today, and the addition of the ifiGOURMET team will better position Roland Foods for growth.”
Serving more than 1,500 in-store bakery, restaurant chain and foodservice customers nationwide, Gurnee, Ill.-based ifiGOURMET operates two distribution centers in the aforementioned cities of Chicago and San Francisco.
“We are proud to support Roland Foods’ expansion with the acquisition of ifiGOURMET, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Keith and the entire Roland Foods and AUI Fine Foods team as they continue to identify new strategic acquisition opportunities,” said Ken O’Keefe, managing director and COO at Vestar, a New York-based private equity firm specializing in management buyouts and growth capital investments, and member of the board of Roland.
“Joining AUI Fine Foods and the Roland Foods’ family will provide ifiGOURMET with the resources and relationships needed to take our organization to the next level,” added Brownstein. “Roland Foods and AUI share our culture and strong commitment to customer service and deeply understand our business, and we’re excited about the future.”
