RTE Dessert-Makers French Gourmet and ShellsbyDesign Merge

Sept. 5, 2024

Iowa-based private equity firm Midwest Growth Partners III, owner of French Gourmet, engineered the deal.

French Gourmet, a Nevada-based manufacturer of artisanal croissants and pastries, has merged with Iowa-based ShellsbyDesign, a maker of sweet and savory frozen tart shells and ready-to-eat (RTE) frozen desserts. Financial details were not released.

French Gourmet, which is owned by Iowa-based private equity firm Midwest Growth Partners III, services hotels, cafes, independent bakeries, diners, grocery bakeries and other foodservice businesses. ShellsBy Design will give the company complementary product offerings and an expanded geographical reach.

David Lichtenstein, co-founder of ShellsbyDesign, will continue to serve as director of operations at the Iowa facility. Don Smith is CEO of French Gourmet.

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.