SAN ANTONIO – C.H. Guenther & Son, Inc, (CHG) announces its acquisition of Golden West Baking Company (GW), Gizella Pastry Ltd. (Gizella) and Les Boulangeries Rene, Inc. (LBR), the two former of which are located in Vancouver, B.C, and the latter located in Montreal, Quebec. The GW and LBR facilities produce buns, rolls and English muffins for the quick serve, foodservice and retail grocery channels while the Gizella bakery produces frozen dessert items such as cheesecakes, layer cakes, brownies and bars.
Dale W. Tremblay, President & CEO of CHG, complimented Mr. Rene Fluri, majority owner of these businesses, "Rene, his management team, and employees have built an impressive array of businesses that service many of the same customers that we supply today, but with an expanded geographical reach into Canada. The product capabilities are also very complimentary to both our European bakery business as well as our U.S. frozen dough and baked goods businesses."
Mr. Fluri established the Gizella pastry business in 1960 as a retail pastry shop in Vancouver. He expanded into wholesale bakery trade in 1967. In 1984, Mr. Fluri was asked to build a bun and muffin bakery to support a major restaurant chain, which led to the creation of Golden West Bakery Company (also in Vancouver). In 2003, Mr. Fluri acquired LBR, a Montreal bun bakery servicing the same quick service sector.
"The sale of the business to C.H. Guenther & Son allows me to spend more time with family and enjoy some of the other important activities I have going on here in Vancouver and in Switzerland," commented Mr. Fluri. "CHG has a great 163+ year history servicing customers and consumers alike, and as with our Canadian businesses, has created a very family-oriented culture for all employees."
Mr. Tremblay noted "we are very excited about this new addition to the CHG family of companies, and look to build on the legacy that Mr. Fluri has entrusted us with."
The Company remains privately held, and as such details of the transaction were not disclosed.
San Antonio, Texas headquartered C.H. Guenther & Son was founded in Texas in 1851 by German immigrant Carl Hilmar Guenther. The Company produces a variety of branded and customer food products for retail and foodservice customers and consumers. With this acquisition, Guenther will have nine production facilities in the U.S., three in Canada, and three in Europe (U.K. and Belgium).
Source: C.H. Guenther & Son, Inc.
