Arbor Investments Announces The Acquisition Of Columbus Manufacturing, Inc.

CHICAGO, Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Arbor Investments, in partnership with management and CEO Timothy Fallon, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Columbus Manufacturing, Inc., a portfolio company of Endeavour Capital.  Columbus, headquartered in Hayward, California, is a branded manufacturer of retail ready, super premium, artisanal salumi and related deli meat products.  Terms of the sale were withheld.

Established by the Domenici and Parducci families in 1917, Columbus is one of the finest producers of superior quality cured Italian meat delicacies and authentic deli meats in the US.  The Company has a 95 year heritage of producing and marketing unique, specialty salumi and premium deli meat products under the Columbus® brand. The Company maintains one of the strongest reputations for quality in the super premium subsector of the protein industry.  Products are exclusively sold through supermarkets, club stores and specialty grocery stores across North America.  Columbus operates three manufacturing facilities in the San Francisco area occupying more than 270,000 square feet and has the capability to manufacture a wide variety of products such as finocchiona, genoa and calabrese salame.  The Company will continue to operate out of its existing facilities and will be led by Timothy Fallon, CEO and his senior management team.

"We were drawn to Columbus due to the Company's unrivaled quality products and exceptional management team led by well-regarded food industry CEO Timothy Fallon," said Ryan McKenzie of Arbor Investments.  "Columbus' family of products are simply peerless in all respects, from the use of proprietary spice blends and old world recipes, to their hand-crafted manufacturing processes.  The Columbus® brand is synonymous with unmatched quality and our investment objective is to build upon their 95 year tradition and foundation to increase the availability of Columbus' gourmet level salame and deli products across North America."

"We are thrilled to be in business with Tim Fallon," said Ryan McKenzie.  "Few food and beverage CEOs possess his track record of building companies such as Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of New York, Vermont Pure Holdings, Annie's Homegrown Natural Foods, Kettle Foods and Columbus Manufacturing.  Equally as impressive is the depth of the management team with seasoned food industry veterans from Procter & Gamble, Nestle, General Mills, Coors, ConAgra, and Del Monte."

"We are very excited about our investment in Columbus," said Gregory Purcell of Arbor Investments.  "We believe that now more than ever consumers are educated about the overly processed nature of the majority of meat products on the market and want superior quality and freshness when they purchase Italian salumi and premium deli meat at the grocery store.  Columbus' use of whole muscle meat with no artificial binders, fillers and colors, and breadth of natural product offerings, delivers the quality and taste profile that consumers are seeking."

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Chicago, IL, Arbor Investments is a specialized private equity firm that focuses exclusively on acquiring premier companies in the food and beverage industry.  The firm has acquired or invested in over 30 food and beverage companies in North America and currently has $700 million of assets under management across three funds.

Endeavour Capital, which acquired Columbus in 2006, is a west coast based private equity firm with offices in Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver and with $1.5 billion in assets under management.  Endeavour is currently investing its sixth equity fund.

BMO Capital Markets advised Columbus and Endeavour in the transaction.  DLA Piper LLP (US) served as Arbor's legal counsel and Perkins Coie LLP served as counsel to Columbus.

For more information, please contact Ryan McKenzie at Arbor Investments 312.981.3774, Timothy Fallon at Columbus Manufacturing 510.921.3470, or Stephen Babson at Endeavour Capital 503.830.3479.

SOURCE Arbor Investments