Give and Go Prepared Foods has closed its acquisition of the muffin business of United Baking and its subsidiaries Uncle Wally’s and Vision Enterprises.
Based in Shirley, New York, Uncle Wally’s is a leading pure-play manufacturer of premium muffins. Uncle Wally’s product portfolio features a broad range of flavors, sizes and packaging formats, and its products are sold through grocery stores and clubs across the US.
Founded in 1989, Give & Go is a market leader in the North American bakery industry delivering value-added, branded and private label programs across a range of consumer segments including Mini-Treats, Cupcakes, and Better for You Snacking. Give & Go’s well-known offerings include its bestselling two-bite and Kimberley’s Bakeshoppe, and Create-a-Treat brands, and well-positioned Mason St. Bakehouse, and The Worthy Crumb Pastry brands.
Give & Go maintains best-in-class proprietary in-house manufacturing and product innovation capabilities through its seven manufacturing facilities in Toronto.
Both Give & Go and Uncle Wally’s sell predominately through the in-store bakeries of North American retailers and grocers, and the Uncle Wally’s muffin program is a key complementary addition to Give & Go’s portfolio of thaw-and-sell products.
The acquisition will allow both organizations to leverage the collective service, innovation, manufacturing expertise, and distribution resources to better serve their customers. In particular, Uncle Wally’s is now able to leverage Give & Go’s management infrastructure along with its salesforce and customer relationships in the ISB channel.
The leadership team of Uncle Wally’s will be joining Give & Go and assuming new roles in the combined company’s manufacturing, sales and marketing organizations.
Give & Go CEO Joel Flatt said: “Since partnering with Thomas H. Lee Partners in mid-2016, Give & Go continues to focus on improving its scale and product line both organically through our proven innovation capabilities as well as through selective acquisitions.
“The acquisition of Uncle Wally’s represents the first expansion of our manufacturing footprint in the U.S. Uncle Wally’s adds a key in-store bakery program to our offering and allows us to be closer to our U.S. customers. We look forward to building on the combined capabilities of both of our companies to continue to strengthen our value proposition for our customers.”
Uncle Wally’s CEO Lou Avignone said: “We are very excited to join forces with Give & Go. Over our 20-year history, Uncle Wally's tremendous growth and leadership in the muffin category has been supported by our premium quality muffins and deep customer relationships. Give & Go, as a leader in the in-store bakery market, shares our passion for producing the finest quality products."
