Encore Consumer Capital has completed the sale of its portfolio company, FreshKO Produce Services – a distributor of fresh produce – to C&S Wholesale Grocers.
FreshKO is a distributor of fresh produce and produce-related items to independent retailers and small grocery chains in Central and Northern California. The company was founded by its CEO Randal Shepherd and is headquartered in Fresno, CA (www.FreshkoProduce.com).
“Encore has been a great partner over the past three years. They’ve helped us expand our team, our footprint and capabilities,” said Mr. Shepherd.
“It has been a great pleasure for us at Encore to have partnered with Randal Shepherd, Manny Robles and the rest of the team at FreshKO since our investment in 2012. Their ability to expand FreshKO’s customer base and attract a strong partner like C&S exceeded our expectations,” said Scott Sellers, Managing Director of Encore Consumer Capital.
C&S Wholesale Grocers is one of the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the US. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying approximately 6,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases, and institutions with over 170,000 different products. The company is headquartered in Keene, NH (www.cswg.com).
Encore Consumer Capital invests exclusively in consumer products companies that have revenues between $10 million and $100 million and where it can utilize its own consumer experience and the expertise of its operating partners at Encore Associates, a strategic advisory firm to the consumer products industry. The firm has raised nearly $600 million in equity capital and invested in 24 platform companies. Encore was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in San Francisco (www.encoreconsumercapital.com).
© 2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 12-21-15
