Food & Beverage Acquisitions in 2025

CookUnity has acquired flavrs, a shoppable-video platform for immersive food discovery, to integrate a video-first discovery and commerce layer into its chef-to-consumer meal delivery service. The deal aims to deepen consumer engagement, drive conversion and retention, and expand CookUnity's content-driven ordering experience.

PAK Quality Foods LLC, a portfolio company of Cross Rapids Capital, has acquired substantially all assets of Vernon Transportation LP and AmTex H&R Foods LLP, which operate as H&R Foods, a regional food distributor based in Amarillo, Texas. The deal expands PAK Quality Foods’ product and service offerings and broadens its customer footprint across Texas and neighboring states; H&R Foods’ leadership (John and Barry Vernon) will remain with the business.

Fortune International, a premier seafood processor and distributor based in Bensenville, Illinois, has acquired Simply Fresh, a Durham, North Carolina-based fresh fish and seafood processor and purveyor. The acquisition expands Fortune's Mid-Atlantic and Southeast sourcing and custom-cutting capabilities while bringing Simply Fresh's team and regional relationships into Fortune Fish & Gourmet.

Brothers International Food Holdings acquired Food Partners, a Winter Haven, Florida-based citrus ingredient supplier, adding citrus sourcing and logistics capabilities to its global ingredients platform. The deal positions Brothers to deepen its sourcing power and support food and beverage manufacturers across North America and Europe, while Food Partners’ founder Webb Tanner remains in his role as a minority owner.

Patriot Pickle, a Wayne, New Jersey-based manufacturer and distributor of pickles and fermented products, has acquired Cosmo's Food Products, a family-owned specialty peppers and antipasto manufacturer based in West Haven, Connecticut. The deal expands Patriot's product portfolio, manufacturing capacity and service offering for grocery and foodservice customers; terms were not disclosed.

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.

Mars, Incorporated has acquired Kellanova in an all-cash transaction valued at $35.9 billion ($83.50 per share). The deal brings Kellanova's snack and breakfast brands — including Pringles, Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts — into the Mars Snacking portfolio to expand Mars' global snacking scale, capabilities and product categories.

The Wyckoff Family has acquired Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, including its portfolio of brands, vineyards, facilities and operations, returning Washington’s largest premium wine company to private regional family ownership. The deal preserves continuity of management and signals a long-term commitment to winemaking quality and Washington grape growers.

Fortifi Food Processing Solutions has completed its acquisition of Provisur Technologies, a provider of further-processing equipment and aftermarket support for the protein industry. The deal expands Fortifi’s downstream processing and aftermarket capabilities, bringing Provisur’s brands and service network into the PE-backed Fortifi platform (which is backed by KKR).

Dallas-based Braemont Capital has made a strategic growth investment in Royal Cup Coffee & Tea, a nearly 130-year-old Birmingham roaster and distributor. The partnership will provide capital and operational support to expand Royal Cup's roasting and distribution capabilities and strengthen its presence across hospitality, foodservice, healthcare and convenience channels.

Richardson International Limited has completed the acquisition of the pasta business of 8th Avenue Food & Provisions, including a durum mill, three pasta manufacturing facilities (Carrington, ND; New Hope, MN; Winchester, VA) and the Ronzoni brand. The business was sold by Post Holdings/8th Avenue and transfers more than 500 US employees to Richardson, strengthening Richardson's vertically integrated durum-to-pasta supply chain and expanding its retail, private-label, foodservice and ingredient capabilities in North America.

Horizon Family Brands has acquired Maple Hill Creamery, bringing the 100% grass-fed organic dairy maker into Horizon’s portfolio to expand its organic dairy offerings and strengthen retail distribution across the U.S. The deal aims to combine Maple Hill’s grass‑fed expertise and farmer network with Horizon’s scale to accelerate innovation, supply‑chain resilience, and nationwide reach.

Prodalim, a global juice and specialty ingredients company based in Rotterdam, has acquired René Laurent, a century-old beverage flavours specialist based in the Grasse area of France, from International Flavours & Fragrances Inc. (IFF). The deal brings René Laurent into Prodalim's Beverage Compounds business unit to strengthen its flavour capabilities, in-house distillation and extraction expertise, and broaden its beverage solutions offering.

Camlin Fine Sciences Limited (CFSL) completed a block acquisition of a majority stake in Vinpai, buying 78.68% of the share capital (rising to 83.82% after conversion of convertible bonds) at EUR 3.60 per share. CFSL plans a simplified cash tender offer for remaining shares and may seek a squeeze-out to delist Vinpai from Euronext Growth Paris.

SNH Capital Partners has made a strategic growth investment in Arctic Fisheries, a Buffalo, New York-based importer and distributor of premium seafood products. Michael Kotok will remain a shareholder and continue to lead the company as SNH provides capital and operational resources to accelerate Arctic Fisheries' growth across existing and new markets.

WarRoom Cellars has acquired the historic SIMI wine brand from The Wine Group. The purchase brings the 1876-founded Sonoma label into WarRoom's portfolio of heritage wine brands as the buyer aims to revitalize SIMI's legacy while relying on partner Total Beverage Solution for distribution.

Paine Schwartz Partners formed BetterCo Holdings, a new platform for downstream food and beverage investments, and announced BetterCo’s first two holdings: Crisp Inc., an AI-driven commerce intelligence platform, and Lucky Energy, a better-for-you energy drink brand. The investments will fund Crisp’s AI commercialization and go-to-market expansion and support Lucky Energy’s distribution, brand building, and sales growth.

Spanish confectionery group Idilia has acquired UK premium milkshake brand Shaken Udder, with LDC exiting its minority investment. Shaken Udder, based in Tiptree, Essex, was backed by LDC in 2021 and has grown distribution and revenues significantly during the partnership.

Turnspire Capital Partners (with partner AgraMarke Quality Grains) acquired LifeLine Foods LLC and ICM Biofuels LLC and combined operations under The LifeLine Group. The combined platform will operate LifeLine Foods (food-grade corn ingredients) and LifeLine Biofuels (renewable fuels produced from starch streams) to capture operational synergies and expand capabilities across food, building products and biofuels markets.

Odeko has acquired Dairy Distributing, a specialty distributor headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, from Troia Foods. The transaction expands Odeko's Pacific Northwest distribution footprint and gives Dairy Distributing's customers access to Odeko's online ordering platform, broader product catalog and additional services such as equipment financing and insurance.

Taylor Farms, a family-owned North American fresh foods producer, has acquired Natures Way Foods, a Chichester, England-based manufacturer of fresh prepared salads and convenience foods. The acquisition marks Taylor Farms' first major expansion into the United Kingdom; Natures Way Foods (approximately 1,300 employees) will retain its existing management and workforce.

Spanish food manufacturer Cerealto has made a majority investment in Fresca Foods, a Colorado-based co-manufacturer of natural and organic snacks. Cerealto will hold a controlling stake while Fresca’s U.S. leadership team remains significant shareholders and continues to run day-to-day operations; the partnership establishes a substantive U.S. manufacturing presence to accelerate growth in the natural and organic snacking market.

Burdette Beckmann Inc. (BBI), a national confectionery sales agency, has acquired Action Sales West Inc., a regional sales agency serving California, Nevada and Arizona. The acquisition expands BBI’s western U.S. coverage and will integrate Action Sales West’s team and client relationships into BBI’s national platform.

Midas Foods International has acquired Georgia Spice and The Doug Jeffords Company and combined them under the Creative Spiceworks brand to expand blending, packaging and R&D capabilities. The deal strengthens Midas Foods' capacity to serve protein, meat-processing, snack-food and retail/foodservice customers nationally and creates a culinary-driven custom manufacturing platform.

Urban Farmer, a Paine Schwartz Partners–backed manufacturer of frozen dough and pizza products based in Manteno, Illinois, has acquired CAULIPOWER, the leading better‑for‑you cauliflower‑crust and gluten‑free frozen pizza brand. The deal combines Urban Farmer’s integrated manufacturing platform with CAULIPOWER’s brand, nationwide distribution, and innovation pipeline to create a vertically integrated frozen better‑for‑you foods platform; financial terms were not disclosed.

German botanical ingredient supplier Martin Bauer Group has acquired American Botanicals, a US supplier of wildcrafted botanicals and herbs. The deal strengthens Martin Bauer's US sourcing, vertical integration and supply-chain resilience to better serve the global food and dietary supplement markets.

Livonia-based Benchmark Beverage Company has acquired the historic Altes Beer brand from Detroit National Brewing Co. The deal brings the century-old Detroit beer into Benchmark’s portfolio and aims to expand Altes’ manufacturing and distribution footprint while keeping brewing operations in Michigan and retaining Detroit National’s partners on the Altes team.

Xceed Foodservice Group, a portfolio company of San Francisco Equity Partners, has made an investment in Stillwater Provisions, expanding Xceed's coverage into the Mid‑Atlantic and increasing the platform’s footprint to 33 states. Management of Stillwater will continue to operate the business and retain significant equity; terms were not disclosed.

Cotton Creek Capital has made a strategic investment to acquire Ne-Mo's Bakery, a San Diego–based producer of individually wrapped cakes and baked goods. The investment is intended to accelerate growth through expanded manufacturing capacity, product innovation, and commercial investment to broaden the company's retail and convenience-store distribution.

Woodland Gourmet has acquired International Spices, a developer of custom seasoning blends for snacks, proteins and prepared foods, to expand its custom seasoning and flavor development capabilities across foodservice, retail and industrial channels. The deal strengthens Woodland's product portfolio and manufacturing/commercialization resources; terms were not disclosed.

PNC Brands Group has acquired a majority interest in Ice Cream Factory, the family-owned ice cream company headquartered in Lebanon, Missouri. Founder Shannon Imler will remain as Chief Growth Officer while PNC's CEO Gail Kurpgeweit will serve as Ice Cream Factory CEO as the business undergoes operational upgrades, expanded co-manufacturing capacity, and job growth.

Nautic Partners, in partnership with Cenavera management, has completed the acquisition of Cenavera Nutrition from Harkness Capital Partners. Cenavera, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a leading independent K-12 outsourced foodservice operator serving roughly 350–380 districts across 33 states; Nautic intends to support organic growth, geographic expansion and add-on acquisitions to deepen its presence in the K-12 foodservice market.

Nactarome Group, majority owned by private equity firm TA Associates, has acquired Plantex SAS, a French producer of high-quality plant extracts for the food, nutraceutical, cosmetics and animal nutrition markets. The deal is an add-on to Nactarome’s ingredient platform to expand its plant-extraction capabilities and product offering; terms were not disclosed.

Houston-based FreshBrew Group has acquired the Branded Coffee licensed division of Long Island City–based White Coffee Corp. The transaction transfers the nation's largest portfolio of licensed bagged coffee and K-Cup products to FreshBrew, expanding its roasting, liquid production and branded-manufacturing capabilities; senior members of the White family will join FreshBrew's executive team to lead the transition.

Red Arts Capital, a Chicago-based investment firm focused on supply-chain and logistics businesses, has acquired Forestwood Farm, a family-owned produce distributor headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The acquisition adds Forestwood to Red Arts' produce processing and logistics portfolio (joining Freshway Foods) and expands the firm's distribution footprint in the Southeastern United States; Forestwood's second-generation owners will remain in leadership roles.

CCMP Growth Advisors has acquired a majority ownership stake in A1 Cash & Carry, a Mississauga-based foodservice cash-and-carry wholesaler, from National Foods, which will retain a minority interest. The founder and CEO Amjad "Jay" Parvaiz will remain in place as CCMP partners with management to scale A1's multi-site business and expand its footprint across Canada.

Martori Farms has acquired the SOL Group, Fyffes' melon growing and distribution business, creating the world's largest year‑round melon producer with farms in Honduras and Guatemala and a distribution operation in Miami. The deal enables Martori to offer continuous melon supply across North America while allowing Fyffes to concentrate on its core banana and pineapple businesses.

Avance Investment Management has made a strategic minority investment in Barchemy, LLC, a developer and manufacturer of better-for-you chocolate and confectionery ingredients. Barchemy Founder and CEO Larry Toscano will retain a significant ownership stake and continue to lead the company as the business invests to expand capacity, facilities and product innovation; terms were not disclosed.

Buyers Edge Platform, a digital procurement network for the foodservice industry, has acquired the National Golf Course Restaurant Association (NGCRA). NGCRA will continue to operate under its existing name and structure while gaining access to Buyers Edge Platform’s technology, supply‑chain expertise and rebate programs to better serve golf, country club and private club food & beverage operators.

NSF, a global public health and safety organization, has acquired Cambium Analytica, a Traverse City, Michigan-based analytical testing and product development firm serving natural food, beverage and dietary supplement clients. The acquisition adds Cambium's QA, batch-release testing and contract research capabilities to NSF's Food and Nutrition division and will operate as "Cambium Analytica, an NSF company" with its 69 employees remaining in Traverse City.

An affiliate of Rucker Investments subscribed for new shares of Flow Water Inc. under an Ontario Superior Court-approved reverse vesting order, becoming the company's sole shareholder and taking the business private. Flow, headquartered in Toronto, will continue operations under its Flow brand with a deleveraged balance sheet, access to working capital, and Paul Dowdall appointed as President.

Sazerac Company has acquired Western Son Vodka and Distillery, a Texas-based small-batch spirits maker. The acquisition adds the Western Son brand and production capacity to Sazerac’s global spirits portfolio, supporting portfolio and capability expansion.

The Ferrero Group has completed its acquisition of WK Kellogg Co, with WK Kellogg Co becoming a wholly owned subsidiary. WK Kellogg Co shareholders received $23.00 in cash per share; Ferrero says the purchase expands its strategic growth and brand portfolio in North America.

Artisan Chef Manufacturing Company has acquired Buitoni Food Company, a refrigerated pasta and sauces consumer packaged goods business. Briggs Management Partners served as exclusive financial advisor, led diligence and integration planning, and is acting as interim CFO to support the post-close integration and operational improvements.

Odeko, an operations and technology partner for independent food & beverage businesses, has acquired Six Degrees Coffee Service & Distribution, a specialty distributor based in Chico, California. The deal gives Odeko a direct presence in Northern California and lets Six Degrees' customers access Odeko's online ordering platform, national catalog, and support services.

Frazil, the leading U.S. slush brand, has acquired Alligator Ice, a family-owned frozen beverage company with a footprint in over 10,000 convenience store locations. The acquisition expands Frazil's presence and capabilities across convenience stores, QSRs/LSRs, and other retail channels and pairs Alligator Ice's retail strength with Frazil's scale and innovation.

Louisville Brands has acquired Louisville Vegan Jerky Company, a plant-based snack brand and Render Capital Fund 1 portfolio company. The acquisition brings the top-selling vegan jerky brand into Louisville Brands' consumer CPG platform to accelerate national scaling and leverage regional logistics and distribution strengths.

Arbor Investments, a private equity firm focused on food and beverage, has acquired Acxion Foodservice, a North American sales and marketing platform serving the foodservice channel, from Prospect Hill Growth Partners. The deal is Arbor Investments VI's second platform investment; Acxion's existing leadership team will remain in place and the transaction terms were not disclosed.

Heartland Food Products Group has acquired the SLIMFAST US brand from Glanbia PLC. The purchase expands Heartland's portfolio in weight management and sugar-reduction products, combining SLIMFAST with the company's SPLENDA brand to target growing consumer demand for healthier, lower-calorie nutrition options.

Fengate Private Equity, on behalf of the LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada, has made a minority-growth investment in Sweets from the Earth, a Toronto-based maker of 100% plant-based, allergy-friendly baked goods. Founders Ilana and Marc Kadonoff retain a significant minority stake and will continue to lead the company as Fengate provides capital and resources to accelerate expansion across Canada and into the U.S.; financial terms were not disclosed.