Vestar Capital Partners announced it has signed a definitive agreement with Wind Point Partners to acquire Nonni’s Food Group, Oakbook, Ill., a leading manufacturer and marketer of artisanal cookies and other premium baked snacks. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017.
Nonni’s premium Italian-inspired biscotti and other baked goods are marketed under the Nonni’s, THINaddictive, and La Dolce Vita brands, sold through a distribution platform that includes clubstores, grocery, mass-market, foodservice and online retail outlets.
“Our partnership with Wind Point has been extraordinarily successful and we thank them for their support and contributions to Nonni’s,” said Brian Hansberry, CEO of Nonni’s. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Vestar as we look to build upon Nonni’s growth and success. The Vestar team’s deep consumer experience will be invaluable as we work to expand our customer relationships, enter new channels, and continue to introduce new and innovative products to the marketplace.”
Brian O’Connor, managing director of Vestar and co-head of the consumer group, said he sees numerous growth avenues for Nonni’s premium, established brands. “We are excited to be partnering with Brian Hansberry, Chris Puma and the rest of Nonni’s management team to pursue our shared vision for the company.”
Nonni’s represents Wind Point’s third successful sale of a consumer products company in 2017. "Nonni’s is a great example of how Wind Point’s strategy of partnering with top caliber CEOs can transform a business," explained Konrad Salaber, managing director at Wind Point. "The Nonni’s team executed against a value creation plan that dramatically increased the company’s scale, materially enhanced profit margins, and positioned the business extremely well for its next phase of robust growth.”
Nonni’s operates four facilities in Ferndale, N.Y., Glendale, Ariz., Tulsa, Okla. and Montreal. It produces its top-selling nationally distributed biscotti using a traditional family recipe.
Vestar Capital Partners is a leading middle-market private equity firm with a focus on consumer, healthcare and business services and industrial products. Founded in 1988, Vestar has completed more than 80 investments in companies – as well as more than 200 add-on acquisitions – with a total value of approximately $50 billion.
