USA – Quirch Foods, a food distribution company backed by Palladium Equity Partners, has acquired Butts Foods, a fresh protein distributor operating several distribution facilities in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi in USA.
This is the first acquisition by Quirch Foods and represents the company’s commitment to further expanding its geographic footprint following its recent distribution center opening in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Butts Foods has been providing quality service to their customers for decades and it was a natural fit to our distribution footprint,” said Frank Grande, President of Quirch Foods.
“Quirch Foods and Butts Foods will continue to focus on delivering exceptional service and support to our independent and national grocery customers with quality products including our company owned brands. We are excited to welcome the Butts Foods team to the Quirch Foods Family.”
R.E. Butts IV, President of Butts Foods added that the transaction “represents a great opportunity for the team to continue to grow the business with more tools and support than ever before in our 85-year history.
“It also represents joining a company whose family values, history, culture, and vision are the same as ours.”
Quirch Foods has been owned by affiliates of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC (collectively, “Palladium”), a middle market private equity firm with approximately US$3 billion in assets under management, since 2018.
“The acquisition of Butts Foods by Quirch Foods is in line with our strategy as the company’s management team continues to build Quirch into a leading distributor and exporter of protein and Hispanic food products in the U.S., with an enhanced presence in the Southeast,” said Chris Allen, a Partner of Palladium.
“We are pleased to support Quirch’s enhancement of its platform with the Butts Foods acquisition and are excited to welcome its talented employees to the team.”
Following the acquisition, Quirch will now operate more than ten distribution facilities with over 700,000 square feet of refrigerated warehouse space and a fleet of more than 120 refrigerated trucks.
Quirch Foods is the exclusive distributor of Chiquita Brands frozen Tropicals and Fruits, Panamei Seafood, Kikiriquirch poultry and Mambo Foods serving large and independent retailers across the United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
