Roland Foods, LLC ("Roland Foods"), a purveyor of fine global ingredients for over 85 years and a portfolio company of Vestar Capital Partners, announced that it has acquired ifiGOURMET, a leading importer and master distributor of high-quality products for professional use in the bakery, pastry, confectionery, and ice cream industries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
ifiGOURMET will be combined with AUI Fine Foods, Roland Foods' sweet division, and ifiGOURMET's owner and CEO Rick Brownstein will remain with the company going forward.
"This strategic acquisition will strengthen AUI Fine Foods' footprint in the key Chicago and San Francisco markets and expands our sweet product offering, which will allow us to better serve existing and new customers nationwide," said Keith Dougherty, CEO of Roland Foods. "We believe tremendous opportunities exist in the gourmet food and ingredients market today, and the addition of the ifiGOURMET team will better position Roland Foods for growth."
An importer of gourmet dessert products and ingredients from around the world, ifiGOURMET serves more than 1,500 in-store bakery, restaurant chain and foodservice customers nationwide. It operates two distribution centers in Chicago, IL, and San Francisco, CA.
"We are proud to support Roland Foods' expansion with the acquisition of ifiGOURMET, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Keith and the entire Roland Foods and AUI Fine Foods team as they continue to identify new strategic acquisition opportunities," said Ken O'Keefe, Vestar Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, and Member of the Board of Roland Foods.
"Joining AUI Fine Foods and the Roland Foods' family will provide ifiGOURMET with the resources and relationships needed to take our organization to the next level," said Mr. Brownstein. "Roland Foods and AUI share our culture and strong commitment to customer service and deeply understand our business, and we're excited about the future."