Fine food: Investor Group Acquires Lipari Foods

Greenwich / CT. (ljc) An investor group led by Littlejohn + Co. LLC, a private investment firm based in Greenwich (CT), announced that it has acquired Lipari Foods, a leading specialty food distributor. The Lipari family, management, H.I.G. Capital, and Sterling Investment Partners remain minority investors.

Founded in 1963 and headquartered in Warren, MI, Lipari is a leading distributor and value-added manufacturer of «perimeter-of-the-store» specialty foods, primarily serving over 7,500 independent and specialty grocers, with a growing base of over 2,000 national supermarket, convenience store and other customers across the United States. Lipari offers over 25,000 products, spanning deli, bakery, foodservice, specialty grocery, dairy, frozen seafood and meats, international foods, confections, and packaging items through its expansive refrigerated distribution network.

«Lipari builds upon Littlejohn’s deep expertise investing in value-added distribution platforms,» said Tony Miranda, Managing Director of Littlejohn. «We have long admired Lipari and have been impressed with the Company’s highly differentiated business model, tenured management team, and impressive track record of growth and operational excellence. We are excited to partner with Thom Lipari and the rest of the management team to support Lipari’s next phase of growth.»

Thom Lipari, CEO Lipari Foods: «Littlejohn’s proven ability of building and scaling distribution businesses will be valuable as we seek to expand our capabilities while continuing to deliver high-quality products and service for our longstanding customers. We look forward to leveraging the firm’s resources to accelerate our growth trajectory and execute on Lipari’s significant organic and acquisition growth initiatives.»

Steven Kalter, MD Littlejohn: «We are excited to partner with Lipari given its compelling value proposition, diverse product portfolio, and superior service offering. Under Thom’s leadership, Lipari has executed a number of strategic acquisitions that have positioned the Company as a preeminent pure-play specialty food distribution platform. We look forward to building on Lipari’s strong market position and accelerating its acquisition program as it seeks to become the partner of choice to food retailers nationwide.»