Food & Beverage Acquisitions in Connecticut

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.

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.

Chocolate Works, a portfolio company of Insignia Capital, has acquired Thompson Chocolate, a Meriden, Connecticut-based manufacturer of specialty and foil-wrapped chocolate novelties. The transaction — facilitated by Insignia Capital Group/Insignia Capital Partners — is Chocolate Works' second add-on (after Moonstruck) and expands the platform's private-label, co-manufacturing and foil-wrapping capabilities for retail and branded customers.

Osage Advisors advised Stonington Vineyards on its sale to a local private family buyer. The Connecticut winery — founded in 1987 and producing about 6,000–7,000 cases annually — will be preserved by the new owners who plan to expand offerings, events and ties to the local food scene.

Catalina Finer Foods, an MGP portfolio company, completed the acquisition of Saugatuck Kitchens on November 9, 2023. The deal expands Catalina's frozen hors d'oeuvres and prepared-food portfolio and broadens its customer reach across foodservice and retail grocery channels.

Chicago-based private equity firm Frontenac has entered a partnership with New Haven-based City Line Distributors, joining food-distribution veteran Sean Griffin and City Line CEO Robert Berkowitz to support the company’s next stage of growth. The investment establishes City Line as a platform to pursue add-on partnerships with independent food distributors across the Northeast, preserving the company’s customer-centric model while driving geographic expansion.

Spirit of Gallo has acquired Fishers Island Lemonade, a female-founded premium ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktail brand. The acquisition brings a high-ABV, spirits-forward canned cocktail portfolio into Spirit of Gallo's expanding RTD and spirits lineup; terms were not disclosed and founder Bronya Shillo will remain involved as the brand's spokesperson.

Sabatino Tartufi, the 113-year-old truffle specialist headquartered in West Haven, Connecticut, received a strategic investment from Traub Capital Partners, with Three Hills Capital Partners also participating. The Balestra family will remain in leadership while the new capital is intended to fund facility and infrastructure improvements and to expand brand awareness, distribution and growth across Sabatino's foodservice, commercial and CPG divisions.

BrightPet Nutrition Group, a portfolio company of A&M Capital Partners, has acquired Bravo! Pet Foods, a pioneer in frozen raw and freeze-dried pet diets. The add-on acquisition expands BrightPet's branded portfolio and manufacturing capabilities in the premium frozen and freeze-dried pet food category.

Groupe Le Duff, through its Bridor subsidiary, has acquired Lecoq Cuisine Corporation, a U.S. producer of premium frozen Viennese and French-style pastries. The deal adds Lecoq's Bridgeport, Connecticut production capacity (about 250 employees and $60M revenue in 2022) to Bridor's global frozen bakery platform to support North American growth.

GS Foods Group, a specialized foodservice distribution platform owned by affiliates of Highview Capital and A&M Capital Partners, has acquired Thurston Foods, a family-owned broadline food distributor based in Wallingford, Connecticut. The add-on deal expands GS Foods' footprint across the Northeastern U.S. and augments its product offerings and capabilities to serve education, healthcare and foodservice customers.

Chicago-based private equity firm Tilia Holdings completed the acquisition of NutriScience Innovations, a Milford, Connecticut developer and supplier of branded nutritional and specialty ingredients. The sellers on the transaction included Akoya Capital, Lakeview Equity Partners and Greyrock Capital Group; NutriScience's CEO Alan Yengoyan will remain in his role to support the company's next phase of growth.

One Rock Capital Partners, in partnership with Metropoulos & Co., completed the acquisition of Nestlé Waters North America from Nestlé S.A. The deal transfers NWNA — the Stamford-based bottled water business that includes brands like Poland Spring and the ReadyRefresh delivery service and ~7,200 employees — to new private ownership to operate as an independent company focused on growth and operational improvement.

Crave Better Foods, maker of Chipwich, has acquired the SOLERO organic fruit bar business from Iris Brands, LLC and will merge the brand into its Connecticut operations. The founders of Iris Brands, Josh Hochschuler and Steve Gill, will partner with Crave Better Foods to market Solero alongside Chipwich and pursue synergies and scale in the frozen novelty category; terms were not disclosed.

Universal Pure Holdings LLC (a Tilia Holdings company) acquired Stay Fresh Foods LLC effective July 1, 2019. The deal expands Universal Pure’s high-pressure processing (HPP) capacity and Northeast footprint—adding Stay Fresh’s two SQF Level 3-certified facilities in Meriden, Connecticut and Pennsauken, New Jersey—and brings beverage co-packing and additional value‑added services into the platform.

Glanbia Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Glanbia plc, has acquired Watson Inc., a third-generation family-owned supplier of food and supplement ingredients headquartered in West Haven, Connecticut, for $89 million. The deal brings Watson’s ~300 employees and manufacturing sites in Connecticut and Illinois into Glanbia’s global nutritionals platform to expand capabilities, product offerings and global coverage.