HC Private Investments Acquires Majority Stake in Epicurean Butter Company

Forward Consumer Partners Acquires 51% Stake in Justin's from Hormel Foods

December 15, 2025

Food & Beverage

Forward Consumer Partners has acquired a 51% ownership stake in the Justin’s brand, creating a standalone Justin’s company that will be 51% owned by Forward and 49% owned by Hormel Foods. The transaction returns founder Justin Gold as a strategic advisor and installs Peter Burns as CEO as the business — known for nut butters and USDA-certified organic chocolate confections — seeks focused resources to accelerate growth.

West Lane Capital and Wheel Capital Acquire Epicurean Catering

February 23, 2023

Food & Beverage

Los Angeles-based West Lane Capital Partners and Las Vegas-based Wheel Capital Partners acquired a majority interest in Epicurean Catering LLC, a Las Vegas-based high-end catering and foodservice provider. The firms named David Friedman as CEO and said the investment will support Epicurean’s operational strengthening and growth initiatives; terms were not disclosed.

HC Private Investments Forms Artisan Bakery Through Acquisitions of Snackwerks and Specialty Bakers

June 24, 2025

Food & Beverage

HC Private Investments, a Chicago-based family office, has acquired Snackwerks (Battle Creek, MI) and Specialty Bakers (Marysville, PA) to form Artisan Bakery, a national premium baked-goods and co-manufacturing platform. The deal brings together established in-store bakery distribution and advanced co-manufacturing/R&D capabilities to accelerate product innovation, packaging expansion and scale across retail and co-manufacturing channels; terms were not disclosed.

HumanCo Acquires Majority Stake in Coconut Bliss

July 16, 2020

Food & Beverage

HumanCo, a purpose-driven holding company, has acquired a majority interest in Coconut Bliss, a family-owned, Oregon-based organic plant-based ice cream maker. The deal will support product innovation, expanded distribution and increased marketing to grow Coconut Bliss into a larger, potentially global brand while maintaining its commitments to organic, fair-trade and sustainable sourcing.

Harwood Private Equity Acquires Crest Foods

February 20, 2024

Food & Beverage

Harwood Private Equity has acquired Crest Foods, a US-based provider of dairy stabilizers, contract packaging, and private-label dry food manufacturing. Terms were not disclosed; Brown Gibbons Lang & Company served as financial advisor and facilitated a sale-leaseback of Crest's 575,000-square-foot Ashton, Illinois facility via TPG Angelo Gordon's Net Lease business. Harwood said the acquisition will support Crest Foods’ next phase of growth.

Entrepreneurial Equity Partners Acquires Kronos Foods Corp

February 12, 2020

Food & Beverage

Chicago-based private equity firm Entrepreneurial Equity Partners (e2p) has acquired Kronos Foods Corp from Grey Mountain Partners. Kronos, headquartered in Glendale Heights, Illinois, is a producer of Mediterranean and international prepared foods — including gyro meats, plant-based proteins and bakery products — and will serve as a new platform to expand product capabilities and foodservice distribution; financial terms were not disclosed.