TORONTO — Give & Go Prepared Foods Corp. (“Give & Go”) announced today that is has completed its sale to affiliates of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (“THL”).
Founded in 1989, Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp. is a market leader in the North American bakery industry delivering value-added, branded and private label programs across a range of consumer segments including Mini-Treats, Cupcakes, and Better For You Snacking. Give and Go’s well-known offerings include its bestselling two-bite® and Kimberley’s Bakeshoppe® brands, as well as its Mason St. Bakehouse™ and The Worthy Crumb Pastry Co.™ brands. Give & Go maintains best-in-class, proprietary in-house manufacturing and product innovation capabilities through its four production facilities located in Toronto, Canada.
Concurrent with the closing of the acquisition by THL, Give & Go completed the acquisition of Create-a-Treat Ltd., NAFTA Foods and Packaging Inc., and related entities (together, “NAFTA CAT”). NAFTA CAT will form a new division inside Give and Go, simply called “Create-a-Treat.”
Based in Toronto, NAFTA CAT is a market-leading manufacturer of edible craft products for celebrations and holidays throughout the year. NAFTA CAT is the largest North American manufacturer of gingerbread house kits, and makes and sells cookie kits and a variety of cookies. NAFTA CAT sells under the Create-a-Treat and Orbit brands, as well as under private label brands. NAFTA CAT operates three custom-built manufacturing facilities in Toronto, Canada.
Both Give & Go and NAFTA CAT sell predominately through the in-store bakeries of North American retailers and grocers. Together, Give and Go and NAFTA CAT will be able to leverage the combined service, innovation, manufacturing and distribution resources to better serve their foodservice and retail grocery customers. The executive team of NAFTA CAT will be assuming leadership roles at Give & Go.
Joel Flatt, CEO of Give and Go, commented, “We are excited about our new partnership with THL whose extensive experience in the consumer goods sector will be a terrific asset for the Company as we continue to invest in innovative new products and accelerate our acquisition strategy. NAFTA CAT is an excellent example of the type of acquisition we are seeking in order to grow our platform and provide our customers with better service and more integrated offerings across a broad range of baked goods categories. I am confident that we found the perfect partners to aggressively expand and scale the Give & Go platform.”
Jeff Swenson, Managing Director of THL, said, “Joel Flatt and the Give & Go management team have created a winning portfolio of on-trend, value-added solutions for their customers in the in-store bakery. The company has been a pioneer in innovation across sweet baked goods categories. We look forward to partnering with Joel and are excited to invest behind opportunities that will further strengthen Give & Go’s leading customer value proposition.”
For more information on Give & Go, its products, and its capabilities, please visit our website: http://www.giveandgo.com/
About Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.
Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. is one of the world’s oldest and most experienced private equity firms. The firm invests in growth-oriented businesses, headquartered principally in North America, across three broad sectors: consumer and healthcare, media and information services, and business and financial services. Since its founding in 1974, THL has raised over $20 billion of equity capital and invested in more than 130 businesses with an aggregate purchase price of more than $150 billion. THL strives to build great companies of lasting value and generate superior investment returns. For more information, please visit www.thl.com.
Source: Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.