SAUGET, ILL. — Private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management LP announced on Nov. 14 that it acquired Branding Iron Holdings, a provider of branded and private label meat products, with a core focus on frozen and refrigerated ground meats.

With a history dating back to 1960, Branding Iron’s roots originated with the creation of Holten Meats. When Holten Meats merged with Rochester Meat Co. in 2007, Branding Iron emerged as the company it is known as today.

Branding Iron manufactures a variety of protein products for the foodservice and retail customers. Based in Sauget, Ill., the company also operates facilities in Rochester, Minn., and Sauk Rapids, Minn.

Branding Iron’s portfolio includes frozen beef patties, refrigerated beef patties, portioned and bulk product, breaded product, and pork product, along with other protein products.

“We are honored to be a part of the long and storied history of Branding Iron and its associated brands,” said Andrew Kovach, managing director of Kingswood. “We firmly believe in the company’s quality, customer relationships and strong manufacturing capabilities.

Effective at closing of the transaction, Andy Touchette will be promoted from chief operating officer of Branding Iron to chief executive officer, while protein industry veteran John Niemann will join the company’s board of directors as executive chairman.

“Given Kingswood’s experience in the food space, we are excited to partner with the current management team as well as John Niemann to take the business to the next level,” Kovach added.

“It was important to us to identify a long-term partner who will help us grow and support customers across every channel, and we believe we found that in Kingswood,” Touchette said. “We are proud of what we have built at Branding Iron and are highly confident that customers will continue to enjoy the quality and service they have grown accustomed to, while we seek out ways to improve upon our excellent standards of delivery.”