Thomas H. Lee Partners completes acquisition of Give & Go Prepared Foods

Canadian manufacturer of baked goods Give & Go Prepared Foods has completed its sale to affiliates of private equity firm Thomas H. Lee (THL) Partners.

Along with the completion of the purchase by THL, Give & Go has closed the purchase of Create-a-Treat, NAFTA Foods and Packaging Inc. and related entities (collectively known as NAFTA CAT).

NAFTA CAT will form a new unit within Give and Go, to be named Create-a-Treat.

THL managing director Jeff Swenson said: “Joel Flatt and the Give & Go management team have created a winning portfolio of on-trend, value-added solutions for their customers within the in-store bakery.

“The company has been a pioneer in innovation across sweet baked goods categories. We look forward to partnering with Joel and are excited to invest behind opportunities that will further strengthen Give & Go’s leading customer value proposition.”

Give & Go Prepared Foods CEO Joel Flatt said: “We are excited about our new partnership with THL whose extensive experience in the consumer goods sector will be a terrific asset for the company as we continue to invest in innovative new products and accelerate our acquisition strategy.

“NAFTA CAT is an excellent example of the type of acquisition we are seeking in order to grow our platform and provide our customers with better service and more integrated offerings across a broad range of baked goods categories.

“I am confident that we found the perfect partners to aggressively expand and scale the Give & Go platform.”

Set up in 1989, Give & Go Prepared Foods is a leading player in the North American bakery industry.

It owns two-bite and Kimberley’s Bakeshoppe, Mason St. Bakehouse and The Worthy Crumb Pastry Co. brands.

Give & Go has four production facilities in Toronto, Canada.

Located in Toronto, NAFTA CAT is a manufacturer of gingerbread house and cookie kits, along with cookie variations.

It sells under the Create-a-Treat and Orbit brands, as well as under private label brands and also operates three manufacturing facilities in Toronto, Canada.