Roland Foods, a portfolio company of Vestar Capital Partners since August 2013, has acquired Albert Uster Imports (AUI).
AUI is an importer of specialty pastry, bakery, and confectionary products used by professional chefs and bakers at hotels, restaurants, casinos, cruise lines, and airlines. The company has more than 1,400 SKUs and sources its products from more than 150 global suppliers, including exclusive distribution arrangements with such brands as Felchlin, HUG, Ponthier, Laderach, and PCB Creation.
AUI, led by CEO Philipp Braun, was founded in 1968 and is based near Washington, DC in Gaithersburg, MD (www.auifinefoods.com).
“AUI and Roland Foods have much in common as global leaders in the imported specialty foods niche,” said Mr. Braun. “However, there is little product overlap and each company brings complementary products and services to the combination.”
Roland Foods is an importer and supplier of specialty foods to foodservice distributors, specialty retailers and restaurants. The company has more than 1,500 SKUs and its product offering includes condiments and spices; vegetables; cooking wines; escargot; fruit; grains and noodles; oils and sauces; mushrooms and truffles; and a variety of other products. Roland was founded in 1934 by Bruno and Suzanne Scheidt and is based in New York with a warehouse facility south of Newark in Dayton, NJ (www.rolandfood.com).
“The acquisition of AUI establishes Roland Foods as a leading platform within the specialty foods landscape,” said James Wagner, CEO of Roland Foods. “This acquisition doubles Roland Foods’ portfolio of unique, hard-to-source specialty products, increases our presence in the growing pastry and confections product lines, and offers us entry into the frozen and refrigerated categories.”
Vestar specializes in management buyouts and growth capital investments. The firm targets equity investments from $50 million to $150 million in middle-market companies with enterprise values ranging from $250 million to $1 billion. Sectors of interest include consumer; diversified industries; healthcare; and financial services. Vestar was founded in 1988 and has offices in New York, Boston, and Denver (www.vestarcapital.com).
© 2019 Private Equity Professional | January 16, 2019
