ONTARIO, Calif.–GS Foods Group, Inc. (“GS Foods”), a leading specialized food distributor owned by affiliates of Highview Capital, LLC (“Highview”) and A&M Capital Partners (“AMCP”), today announced the acquisition of family-owned and operated produce supplier Fresno Produce, Co. (“Fresno Produce”). The partnership will integrate GS Foods’ national nutrition expertise — including procurement, distribution, logistics and sophisticated service capabilities — with a local operation to continue providing fresh, safe and nutritious meals to students and families in the Fresno, CA area.
Headquartered in California, GS Foods encompasses a family of specialized foodservice distribution companies including Gold Star Foods, one of the nation’s largest K-12 school nutrition providers — serving 3,500 K-12 schools throughout the United States. With more than 50 years of industry experience and a deep understanding of the complex and ever-evolving regulatory environment governing child nutrition programs, the company serves as a trusted partner able to meet the unique needs of its customers nationally.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical role school nutrition programs play in feeding our communities, yet today the specialized foodservice distribution industry remains highly fragmented,” said Sean Leer, CEO of GS Foods. “By partnering with like-minded companies such as Fresno Produce, GS Foods expands the reach of our expertise and takes another key step in establishing a coordinated, national school nutrition supply system. This allows us to better meet the diverse and increasing needs of our customers in California and beyond.”
Fresno Produce was established in 1990 by David Miller and his wife Laura. The family-owned distributor is committed to serving students in local school districts including the Fresno Unified School District, one of their first and founding customers. GS Foods will continue serving all 100 schools and over 73,000 students that Fresno Produce serves today.
“GS Foods’ exceptional leadership team, advanced facilities, proprietary technology and unique service offerings are simply unmatched in school nutrition,” said David Miller, owner and president of Fresno Produce. “We are proud to partner with a dedicated company who shares our commitment to meeting the specialized needs of each and every community it serves and who will bring known expertise to our region.”
GS Foods will continue to serve the Fresno community as it works to ensure students and families nationwide have access to high-quality, wholesome meals they rely on each day.
“We continue to be impressed by GS Foods’ distribution capabilities and presence within the K-12 market, delivering outstanding customer service and product quality,” said Jack McCarthy, Sr. Managing Director and Founder of A&M Capital Partners. “We believe that partnering with local and family-owned companies like Fresno Produce illustrates how GS Foods continues to expand its footprint and pioneer the establishment of a national supply system.”
About GS Foods
GS Foods is a family of specialized foodservice distribution companies. GS Foods uses its sophisticated network of facilities to provide trusted food distribution and product solutions to specialized foodservice segments, including education, corrections, non-profit, business & industry and healthcare. GS Foods’ independent subsidiaries, Good Source Solutions, Inc. and Gold Star Foods, Inc., collectively serve over 8,000 customers nationwide. GS Foods is owned by affiliates of Highview Capital, LLC and A&M Capital Partners.
About Highview Capital, LLC
Highview Capital, LLC is an opportunistic private equity investment vehicle headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with approximately $500 million in assets under management providing transformational equity. Highview leverages its creative vision and expertise to partner with management teams of leading middle-market businesses undergoing periods of transformation, including growth, expansion or performance improvement. For more information, visit www.highviewcp.com.
About A&M Capital Partners
A&M Capital Partners is Alvarez & Marsal Capital’s flagship investment strategy focused on middle-market control transactions in North America with total assets under management of approximately $1.8 billion. AMCP partners with founders, corporates and management teams, providing the capital and strategic assistance that we believe is required to take businesses to the next level of success. AMCP invests in businesses across a wide range of sectors including Business Services, Industrials, Manufacturing, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Consumer & Retail, Government Services, Financial Services and Energy Services. More broadly, Alvarez & Marsal Capital is a multi-strategy private equity investment firm with over $3.0 billion in total assets under management across three investment strategies, which maintains a strategic association with Alvarez & Marsal, one of the largest operationally focused advisory firms in the world.
