Tracked deals
25
25 tracked deals across 2019-2026.
Food & Beverage Buyers & Acquisitions in Ohio
Buyer mix
Mixed buyer set
16 pe · 16 strategic
Top trend
Volume peaked in 2023
7 tracked deals announced in 2023.
Primary Insight
What Stands Out
- Manufacturing scale-ups are common: added facilities, lines, and R&D (e.g., Imagine Baking’s production footprint for gluten-free and organic/better-for-you products).
- Distribution and fresh operations show up in Ohio via acquisitions tied to warehousing and fresh-cut processing (e.g., FreshEdge’s Ravenna and Norwalk facilities).
- Brand + capability combinations recur, such as Tastee Apple pairing manufacturing and national distribution with Art of Sucre’s social-first brand and product innovation.
- Foodservice and equipment enablement is represented through The Wasserstrom Company’s acquisition of a kitchen-equipment and kitchen-design firm in Huron, Ohio.
- Investment-backed consolidation features both PE-backed platforms and operators, including CD&R, Prairie Farms Dairy, and Lassonde Industries Inc. buying Ohio-based targets.
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Top Buyers
Illustrative buyers pulled from tracked transactions on this page. This table is capped and intentionally non-exhaustive.
| Buyer | # Deals | Focus | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&M Capital Partners | 1 | Middle-market private equity buyout fund (Alvarez & Marsa... | PE |
| A&M Capital Partners (AMCP) | 1 | Middle‑market private equity firm (Alvarez & Marsal Capit... | PE |
| Astara Capital Partners | 1 | Middle-market private equity firm investing in manufactur... | PE |
| Batory Foods | 1 | National sales and supply-chain management provider of fo... | Strategic |
| Blue Point Capital Partners | 1 | Lower middle‑market private equity firm (manages Fund IV)... | PE |
| Bobbie Baby, Inc. | 1 | Mom-founded organic pediatric nutrition company selling E... | Strategic |
| BrightPet Nutrition Group | 1 | Manufacturer and distributor of premium and super‑premium... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
| Charter Growth Capital | 1 | Investor that provides junior/growth capital to lower-mid... | Investor |
| Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) | 1 | Leading private investment firm that acquires and builds ... | PE |
| Commercial Bakeries Corp. | 1 | Producer of private‑label packaged cookies focused on spe... | Strategic (PE-backed) |
Acquisition Volume in Food & Beverage in Ohio by Year
Last 8 years
Actual
Full-year estimate
Supporting Data
Recent Transactions
-
February 9, 2026
- Buyer
- Tastee Apple Inc.
- Target
- Art of Sucre LLC
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- The Wasserstrom Company
- Target
- Breckenridge Kitchen Equipment & Design
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
February 14, 2025
- Buyer
- Five Star Breaktime Solutions
- Target
- KBS Vending, LLC
- Seller
- Kent Smith
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
January 28, 2025
- Buyer
- Entrepreneurial Equity Partners, Ray Kelly, Ron Coughlin
- Target
- Bil-Jac Foods
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
October 8, 2024
- Buyer
- Prairie Farms Dairy
- Target
- SmithFoods
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Lassonde Industries Inc.
- Target
- Summer Garden Food Manufacturing, The Zidian Group
- Seller
- Thomas Zidian (founder and owner of The Zidian Group)
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
Lassonde Industries Inc. completed its acquisition of The Zidian Group’s operating unit, Summer Garden Food Manufacturing (“Summer Garden”), which produces and markets premium sauces and condiments under brands including G Hughes Sugar Free, Little Italy in the Bronx, and Gia Russa. The deal was signed in June 2024 and closed on August 8, 2024 for total consideration of US$237.2 million, with up to US$45.0 million in potential contingent payments tied to financial targets.
-
- Buyer
- Commercial Bakeries Corp., Graham Partners
- Target
- Imagine Baking, Inc.
- Seller
- Adrienne O'Donnell, John O'Donnell
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
- Buyer
- Danone
- Target
- Functional Formularies
- Seller
- Swander Pace Capital
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
December 13, 2023
- Buyer
- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R)
- Target
- Shearer's Foods
- Seller
- Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
September 26, 2023
- Buyer
- Grippo's
- Target
- Ballreich Snack Foods
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- FreshEdge, Wind Point Partners
- Target
- Sirna & Sons Produce, Christine's Cuts
- Seller
- Sirna family (owners of Sirna & Sons Produce)
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
- Buyer
- Bobbie Baby, Inc.
- Target
- Nature's One
- Seller
- Juggernaut Capital Partners, Jay Highman
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
June 7, 2023
- Buyer
- Batory Foods
- Target
- Tri-State Companies
- Seller
- Tri-State Companies (family-owned) / Owner Lloyd Makstell
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Farragut Capital Partners, Promise Holdings, Charter Growth Capital, Group of local Cleveland investors
- Target
- Malley's Candies
- Seller
- Malley family
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Recapitalization
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.
-
January 18, 2023
- Buyer
- Astara Capital Partners
- Target
- Wyandot Snacks
- Seller
- Brown family
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
July 27, 2022
- Buyer
- New Water Capital (affiliate of New Water Capital Partners II L.P.)
- Target
- Klosterman Baking Company Inc.
- Seller
- Klosterman family
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Universal Pure Holdings, LLC, Tilia Holdings
- Target
- Hydrofresh HPP
- Seller
- Keller Logistics Group, Inc.
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
January 18, 2022
- Buyer
- Vintage Wine Estates, Inc.
- Target
- Meier's Wine Cellars, Inc. (DBA Meier's Beverage Group)
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
January 6, 2021
- Buyer
- BrightPet Nutrition Group, A&M Capital Partners (AMCP)
- Target
- MiracleCorp
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
-
September 29, 2020
- Buyer
- A&M Capital Partners
- Target
- BrightPet Nutrition Group
- Seller
- Graham Partners, Golladay family
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
September 14, 2020
- Buyer
- Highlander Partners, L.P.
- Target
- Hilo Nutrition, Inc.
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
January 15, 2020
- Buyer
- Shore Capital Partners
- Target
- Main Street Gourmet
- Seller
- Clover Capital Partners
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
December 27, 2019
- Buyer
- Blue Point Capital Partners, Raymond (Ray) Lee and Country Pure management
- Target
- Country Pure Foods, Inc., Silver Springs Citrus, LLC
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- HPH II Investments Master Fund, LP, WM Partners
- Target
- Ultima Health Products, Inc.
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Buyout
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.
-
- Buyer
- Lipari Foods, H.I.G. Capital
- Target
- Troyer Cheese, Inc., Troyer Bros. Trucking, Ltd., Amish Wedding Foods, Inc.
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Location
- Ohio, United States
- Type
- Addon
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What types of food & beverage acquisitions are shown in Ohio?
The listed deals cover manufacturing and processing (dairy, snacks, sauces/condiments, infant formula, baking, fresh-cut), plus adjacent enablement such as kitchen equipment and foodservice design, and breakroom/vending distribution.
Which recurring acquisition buyers appear in Ohio deals?
Recurring names in the Ohio list include Farragut Capital Partners, Promise Holdings, Charter Growth Capital, Graham Partners, Lassonde Industries Inc., and Commercial Bakeries Corp. (among others provided on the page).
Do the deals focus on capacity expansion or brand-building?
Both themes appear. Many acquisitions emphasize added manufacturing capacity and capabilities, while others pair those capabilities with brand development and product innovation (for example, Tastee Apple and Art of Sucre).
Are the transaction terms disclosed?
Not consistently. Some deals include disclosed terms (e.g., Lassonde Industries’ consideration and potential contingent payments), while others state that terms were not disclosed.
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