Food & Beverage Acquisitions in Ohio

Tastee Apple Inc., a long-standing Ohio-based confectionery manufacturer, acquired viral cotton-candy brand Art of Sucre LLC. The deal will combine Tastee Apple’s manufacturing and national distribution capabilities with Art of Sucre’s social-first brand and product innovation; founder Emily Harpel will remain as Chief Brand Officer to drive continued product and brand development.

The Wasserstrom Company has acquired Breckenridge Kitchen Equipment & Design, a foodservice equipment and kitchen-design firm headquartered in Huron, Ohio. The acquisition expands Wasserstrom's equipment project management and kitchen-design capabilities and extends its reach into Breckenridge's hospitality, healthcare, education and restaurant customer base.

Chicago-based private equity firm Red Arts Capital has acquired Freshway Foods, a fresh-cut processing, repacking and logistics provider operating in the eastern United States, from US Foods. Red Arts said it will provide strategic, financial and organizational support while Freshway's current president, Devon Beer, will remain in place to continue the company's operations and growth.

Five Star Breaktime Solutions, a Chattanooga-based breakroom and vending operator, has acquired KBS Vending, LLC from founder Kent Smith, expanding Five Star’s footprint in the Dayton, Ohio market. The deal transfers ownership as the founder retires and will integrate KBS Vending’s roughly 50-account local business into Five Star’s regional operations.

Chicago-based private equity firm Entrepreneurial Equity Partners (e2p) has made an investment in Bil-Jac Foods in partnership with Ray Kelly; financial terms were not disclosed. Ron Coughlin (former Petco CEO) joined Bil-Jac's board as Executive Chairman and an investor, and Lincoln International served as exclusive financial advisor to Bil-Jac.

Edwardsville, Illinois-based Prairie Farms Dairy has acquired Ohio-based SmithFoods, a regional dairy manufacturer founded in 1909, for an undisclosed sum. The deal expands Prairie Farms' Ohio footprint and complements its existing network of dairy plants, with both companies committed to a seamless integration and continued service to customers and communities.

Lassonde Industries Inc. has completed the acquisition of The Zidian Group, which operates Summer Garden Food Manufacturing, in Boardman, Ohio. The transaction was financed primarily via Lassonde's credit facility for a cash consideration of US$237.2 million (with contingent consideration of up to US$45.0 million) and expands Lassonde's North American specialty food platform and manufacturing capabilities.

Commercial Bakeries Corp., a portfolio company of Graham Partners, has acquired Imagine Baking, Inc., a Sandusky, Ohio-based maker of specialty crackers, cookies, biscuits and brittle focused on gluten-free, organic and better‑for‑you products. The purchase expands Commercial Bakeries' private‑label and co‑manufacturing capabilities in North America by adding Imagine Baking's 114,000+ sq. ft. production facility, segregated lines and R&D lab.

Danone has acquired Functional Formularies, a provider of organic, whole-food, shelf-stable feeding tube formulas, from private equity firm Swander Pace Capital. Swander Pace had owned Functional Formularies since 2018 and invested in sales, innovation, and operations to grow the business; advisors on the transaction included Lazard and Jones Day.

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) has completed its acquisition of Shearer's Foods, a leading North American contract manufacturer and private‑label snack supplier, from Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. Shearer's, headquartered in Massillon, Ohio with 17 manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, will partner with CD&R to scale operations and accelerate growth; terms were not disclosed.

Cincinnati-based Grippo's has acquired Ballreich Snack Foods, a 103-year-old snack manufacturer based in Tiffin, Ohio. The acquisition will expand Grippo's production capacity and geographic reach into Seneca County while preserving Ballreich's brand and workforce.

FreshEdge, a Wind Point Partners‑backed family of fresh food distribution companies, acquired Sirna & Sons Produce (including its Christine's Cuts fresh‑cut processing operation), adding two Ohio facilities in Ravenna and Norwalk. The deal—FreshEdge's third acquisition under Wind Point's ownership—expands FreshEdge's Midwest footprint and increases warehousing and fresh‑cut processing capacity; terms were not disclosed and the Sirna family will remain involved in operations.

Bobbie Baby, Inc. has acquired Ohio-based pediatric nutrition company Nature's One, giving Bobbie end-to-end control of infant formula manufacturing and expanding domestic production capacity. The deal accompanies a $70 million Series C (including a $35 million lead from PowerPlant Partners) and positions the combined business as a larger fully integrated infant and toddler nutrition brand with strengthened supply-chain resilience.

Batory Foods has acquired Tri-State Companies, a family-owned food ingredients broker, distributor and logistics provider headquartered in Mason, Ohio. The acquisition adds Tri-State's 100,000-square-foot multi-temperature distribution center and expands Batory's national supply chain footprint and cold-storage capabilities across the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast.

Farragut Capital Partners provided subordinated debt and preferred equity to support a recapitalization of Malley's Candies led by Promise Holdings, with co-investment from Charter Growth Capital and a group of local Cleveland investors. The transaction preserves family management—CEO Mike Malley and his siblings remain with the business—and will support the long-running Cleveland confectioner and its retail footprint.

Astara Capital Partners has completed an investment in Wyandot Snacks, acquiring a majority stake in the Marion, Ohio-based contract manufacturer of snack foods and cereals. The Brown family will transition ownership while CEO Dewey Armstrong remains in place; Astara said the investment will position Wyandot to be debt-free and provide strategic, operational and financial resources to accelerate growth.

An affiliate of New Water Capital Partners II L.P. has acquired Klosterman Baking Company, a long-standing producer of fresh and frozen baked goods serving grocers, restaurants and institutional customers. New Water said it will partner with management to expand Klosterman's product portfolio and geographic distribution footprint through organic and inorganic growth initiatives.

Universal Pure Holdings, a Tilia Holdings portfolio company, acquired Hydrofresh HPP from Keller Logistics Group to expand its national high pressure processing (HPP) and cold chain platform. The deal increases Universal Pure's Midwest footprint, adds HPP capacity and cold storage capability in Delphos, Ohio, and strengthens service access for food & beverage customers across seven strategic regions.

Vintage Wine Estates, a publicly traded wine company based in Santa Rosa, California, acquired Meier's Wine Cellars, DBA Meier's Beverage Group, a beverage production and contract-bottling facility in Silverton, Ohio. The acquisition (priced at roughly eight times 2021 adjusted EBITDA) adds production capacity — including three bottling lines and a canning line — and strengthens VWE's RTD and Midwest distribution capabilities.

BrightPet Nutrition Group, a portfolio company of A&M Capital Partners, has acquired Dayton, Ohio-based MiracleCorp and its portfolio of pet food, treat and pet accessory brands. The add-on expands BrightPet’s portfolio of super‑premium pet food and treat brands and adds manufacturing capacity in Dayton, strengthening capabilities in freeze-dried treats, toppers and other pet wellness products.

A&M Capital Partners (part of Alvarez & Marsal Capital) has acquired a majority interest in BrightPet Nutrition Group, a Lisbon, Ohio-based manufacturer of premium and super-premium pet food and treats. The Golladay family will retain minority ownership and continue in management roles; the seller included Graham Partners, which announced the exit. AMCP plans to accelerate growth through channel expansion, product portfolio investments and strategic acquisitions.

Highlander Partners, a Dallas-based middle market private equity firm, has acquired Hilo Nutrition, a Columbus, Ohio–based maker of performance gummy supplements. Highlander plans to accelerate Hilo's growth through product innovation, strengthened direct-to-consumer capabilities and expanded distribution.

Chicago-based private equity firm Shore Capital Partners has partnered with Main Street Gourmet, a custom wholesale bakery based in Akron, Ohio, to support the company's next phase of growth. Shore will invest in business development, sales & marketing, and production infrastructure and will support inorganic growth through acquisitions to build a multi-regional bakery platform; previous majority shareholder Clover Capital Partners is noted as the prior investor.

Blue Point Capital Partners (Fund IV) acquired Country Pure Foods, Inc., a leading producer of better-for-you beverages and related juice products, in partnership with Country Pure management and former CEO Raymond Lee. The deal includes Silver Springs Citrus, LLC and positions Blue Point to grow the platform across grocery retail, healthcare and education foodservice, and into plant-based and frozen-novelty beverage categories.

HPH II Investments Master Fund, LP, a private equity fund managed by WM Partners, has acquired Ultima Health Products, Inc., a maker of sugar-free electrolyte hydration products. WM Partners (based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) said Ultima will be grown via channel expansion, new product development and operational improvements; terms were not disclosed.

Lipari Foods, a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, has acquired Troyer Cheese, Inc., Troyer Bros. Trucking, Ltd., and Amish Wedding Foods, Inc. The add-on expands Lipari's specialty food manufacturing and distribution capabilities and extends its geographic reach across the Midwest and national grocery customers.