Great Kitchens Food Company Acquires Uno Foods

CHICAGO, March 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Kitchens Food Company, ("Great Kitchens") a leading U.S. manufacturer of private label take-and-bake pizzas and flatbreads wholly-owned by Brynwood Partners VIII L.P. ("Brynwood VIII"), has completed the acquisition of the Uno Foods division ("Unos" or the "Business") of Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation from its owner, Newport Global Advisors ("Newport"). The terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

Founded in 1943, Pizzeria Uno is an iconic and authentic brand that is recognized as the birthplace of Chicago-style deep dish pizza. The Uno Foods division was established in 1988 to continue the success and rich heritage of the famous Pizzeria Uno brand. Uno Foods manufactures and distributes frozen and refrigerated branded pizzas, calzones, entrees and appetizers across the grocery store, wholesale club, foodservice and e-commerce channels. Uno Foods manufactures all products from its frozen foods facility in Brockton, MA.

"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Uno Foods into Great Kitchens Food Company," said Henk Hartong, Chairman and CEO of Brynwood Partners. "Great Kitchens employs over 800 people in its Chicago based plants and corporate headquarters in Chicago Heights and Romeoville. We are delighted to add the iconic Pizzeria Uno brand to our frozen portfolio. We welcome the Brockton, MA facility to our business and look forward to making investments into that location as we work to expand the reach of the Pizzeria Uno brand."

"On behalf of everyone at Brynwood Partners, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Newport team for being such great partners to us on this transaction. In conjunction with this transaction, we are pleased to announce that we have promoted Admir Basic to the role of President and CEO of Great Kitchens. We have tremendous confidence in Admir as he will continue to lead Great Kitchens and oversee the integration of Uno Foods."

"On behalf of the Newport team, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Brynwood team for their partnership in bringing this transaction to fruition.  As a Chicago-based business, Great Kitchens is the ideal new owner of the Uno Foods business," said Tim Janszen, CEO of Newport Global Advisors.  

The Brynwood Partners portfolio includes Harvest Hill Beverage Company, Carolina Beverage Group, Hometown Food Company, Buitoni Food Company and Great Kitchens Food Company.  Uno Foods increases the total Brynwood manufacturing network to 16 facilities, more than 4,500 employees and approximately $2.5 billion in annual sales.

Brynwood Partners was represented by Winston & Strawn LLP on legal matters.

About Great Kitchens Food Company
Headquartered in Romeoville, IL, Great Kitchens was formed in December 2020 to acquire ARYZTA North America's take-and-bake pizza business. Great Kitchens is a leading U.S. based manufacturer of take-and-bake pizzas and flatbreads sold nationally to high-quality grocery, club and mass retailers, as well as into foodservice outlets. Great Kitchens operates a 165,000 square foot crust facility in Chicago Heights, IL and a 155,000 square foot toppings facility in Romeoville, IL, employing approximately 800 people across the two facilities. For more information on Great Kitchens, please visit www.gkitchens.com.

About Brynwood Partners
Founded in 1984 and based in Greenwich, CT, Brynwood Partners is an operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based lower middle market companies.  The firm targets non-core brands and companies operating exclusively in the consumer sector. Brynwood Partners currently manages more than $1 billion of private equity capital for its limited partners, which include U.S. and international pension funds, fund-of-funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth family investment offices and financial institutions.  For more information on Brynwood Partners, please visit www.brynwoodpartners.com.

About Newport Global Advisors
Founded in 2005 and based in The Woodlands, TX, Newport Global Advisors is a privately held, SEC registered, investment firm with approximately $450 million of assets under management across multiple investment platforms. The firm focuses on investing in small to middle market companies across multiple industries where there is an opportunity for Newport to be involved in financial and operational improvements.  For more information please visit http://newportglobaladvisors.com.  

SOURCE Great Kitchens Food Company