Founded in 1978, Raybern Foods, San Ramon, California, manufactures, sells and distributes Raybern’s branded heat-and-serve deli-style sandwiches. The company operates a 146,000-sq.-ft. facility in Tupelo, Mississippi.
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| Rob Leibowitz, CEO of Raybern Foods |
“The collaborative approach between TSG and Raybern’s has proven immensely valuable as we’ve continued to drive growth — helping us provide even more families with on-trend, delicious and convenient meal and snacking solutions,” said Rob Leibowitz, CEO of Raybern Foods. “Premium Brands represents a fantastic partner as Raybern’s continues building on its current momentum.”
Premium Brands Holdings owns numerous specialty food manufacturing and differentiated food distribution businesses with operations throughout North America. The Raybern’s transaction is one of several recent deals announced by Premium Brands. The company also acquired Buddy’s Kitchen Inc., a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of sandwiches and other prepared meal solutions, and purchased a 50 percent interest in Shaw Bakers, a San Francisco-based manufacturer and distributor of fresh and frozen artisan breads and sweet and savory pastries.
Combined, Buddy’s, Raybern’s and Shaw Bakers have annual sales of approximately $115 million. The addition of these businesses diversifies and strengthens Premium Brands’ sandwich platform.
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| Steve Sposari, president of Premium Brands' North American Sandwich Group |
“Buddy’s and Raybern’s greatly complement our existing businesses as well as each other,” said Steve Sposari, president of Premium Brands’ North American Sandwich Group. “With Buddy’s we gain a new line of unique and innovative products, a very flexible production platform with excess capacity and significantly improved access to the US convenience store and airline segments. Raybern’s provides us with one of the leading premium sandwich brands in the US and will enable us to further strengthen and expand our reach in the US retail channel.”
