SOUTHLAKE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ancor Capital Partners and Merit Capital Partners are pleased to announce the sale of Macedon, New York-based Bakewise Brands to Yamazaki Baking Co., headquartered in Tokyo.
Merit and Ancor established Bakewise Brands in 2010 as the corporate identity for Fleischer’s Bagels, Inc., which they acquired in 2005, and Tom Cat Bakery, which they acquired in 2008. Fleischer’s, based in Macedon, New York, was founded in 1971, and Tom Cat, operating in Long Island City, New York, was established in 1987.
"We have enjoyed a long relationship with the Bakewise team, and we are extremely proud of the culture established and embraced by the management team and employees,” said Ray Kingsbury, Managing Director at Ancor. “Bakewise Brands today offers a portfolio of 400 products and 65 years of combined bakery experience, and it is a trusted bakery solutions provider offering a variety of branded and private label programs to premier retail and food service operators throughout the United States, Canada and Caribbean.”
Terry Shipp, Managing Director of Merit Capital, said “We are proud of the significant accomplishments of Bakewise and its leadership position as a leading manufacturer and distributor of fresh, frozen and refrigerated bagel products.” Shipp continued, “The strong emphasis on product quality, food safety and rapid new product development has been a positive differentiator of our products in the market.” He said its wholly-owned subsidiary, Tom Cat Bakery, has served the handmade artisan bread needs of Metro NYC’s finest white-table-cloth restaurants, luxury hotels and bakery cafes for over 20 years, and now distributes its most popular artisan breads nationwide through a network of specialty frozen distributors.
About Ancor Capital Partners:
Ancor Capital Partners, based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex town of Southlake, Texas, is an operations-oriented private equity firm focused on lower middle-market companies with EBITDA of $5-$15 million. Extensive operational experience gives the Ancor team a unique understanding of the critical business issues faced by lower middle-market companies. Ancor’s proven track record includes 47 acquisitions to date in health care, consumer and other industries. For more information about Ancor, visit http://www.ancorcapital.com.
About Merit Capital Partners:
Merit Capital Partners, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, has managed approximately $2.0 billion through six institutionally sponsored limited partnerships and is currently investing its latest fund. Merit invests both subordinated debt and equity in middle-market companies in support of recapitalizations, acquisitions, management buyouts and internal expansions. Since its inception in 1993, Merit has completed more than 70 platform investments. http://www.meritcapital.com
About Yamazaki Baking Company:
Founded on March 9, 1948, by Tojuro Iijima, Yamazaki Baking Co., Ltd., began as a provider of reasonably priced, fresh, high-quality baked goods in the post-World War II era, when most of Japan was still experiencing severe food shortages. Yamazaki Baking modernized through aggressive technological advances and the installation of state-of-the-art equipment and systems from Europe and North America. At the same time, the company expanded its offerings, introducing breads and other products from around the world into the Japanese market and contributing to the enhancement of Japanese lifestyles and dietary culture. Today, the company's lineup includes bread, sweet buns, Japanese-style confectionery, Western-style confectionery, processed bread and prepared rice and side dishes, as well as jam, desserts and prepared foods in retort pouches. Companies in the Yamazaki Baking Group manufacture a wide variety of products, including biscuits, crackers and sembei (rice crackers). These products are sold nationwide through supermarkets, convenience stores and other sales channels. Yamazaki Baking has also developed its own licensed stores — convenience stores and bakeshops, the latter of which sell products made both on- and off-site — enabling it to respond to increasingly diverse consumer needs and changing market conditions. http://www.yamazakipan.co.jp/english/
