Reinhart Foodservice Agrees To Buy AGAR Supply Co.

ROSEMONT, IL – Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C. (Reinhart), announced that it has entered an agreement to acquire certain assets of AGAR Supply Co., Inc. (AGAR), the nation’s 12th largest foodservice distributor and the largest in New England. The transaction is expected to close September 24, 2012.

AGAR serves 5,000 grocery and restaurant customers across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Maine from a 335,000 square foot facility in Taunton, Massachusetts. AGAR carries 12,000 SKUs, including its own Nautifish® and Bull Pen® brands.

Boyd Jordan, President of Reinhart, said “As Reinhart celebrates its 40th anniversary in the foodservice industry, we are very excited to have AGAR join forces with our existing RFS Boston division to create an even stronger Reinhart in the New England region. We admire the contributions AGAR has made to the New England foodservice industry over the last seventy years. We have known Karen Bressler for a number of years and value her and AGAR’s connections to the New England food service marketplace and the passion she has instilled in her team for helping their customers successfully grow their business. Together, we will be even better suited to serve the growing needs of our combined New England customer base from the Taunton distribution center.”

Karen Bressler, AGAR’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “I am excited to move forward with Reinhart, a family business with an unwavering commitment to customers and employees. We will grow our business in New England through our strong Center of the Plate knowledge, excellent team and a focus on profit solutions for customers. We remain committed to the Retail market, Foodservice and of course our roots in the Asian market. It makes sense for both customers and employees for AGAR to combine with a larger business such as Reinhart to ensure we stay aggressive in the marketplace and access the wide range of products, services, technology, people, and brands to help customers compete and succeed. I look forward to being part of this dynamic leadership and am thrilled to continue to be part of the excellent group of loyal employees and look forward to working with the Reinhart group. The best is yet to come.”

John Roussel, Chief Executive Officer of Reinhart, said “This is a great day for all of us. With our previous acquisitions in New Bedford, MA and Burlington VT, the acquisition of AGAR will reinforce Reinhart’s commitment to New England, a marketplace with a wonderfully diverse culinary heritage. We will certainly gain knowledge and expertise from AGAR’s Retail, Asian and Latino cuisine specialists and believe that with Reinhart’s additional resources AGAR and Reinhart's Boston customers will be sure to get the right products and the right services from Reinhart Boston.” 

About Reinhart

Founded in 1972, Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C. is one of the most progressive and efficient broadline foodservice distributors in the United States. The company provides fresh produce, proteins, ingredients, supplies and equipment to customers across the U.S. from 27 state-of-theart distribution centers. Reinhart serves every segment of the food industry from independent and chain restaurants to schools and healthcare facilities and is committed to the highest levels of customer service, providing its customers with menu planning assistance, nutrition services support, an extensive lending library, TRACS® Direct order entry and foodservice management software and training, weekly specials and educational seminars. Reinhart’s original mission of delivering exceptional high-quality products, personal service and value to its customers is stronger than ever today. To learn more about Reinhart please visit www.RFSDelivers.com.

About AGAR:

Agar Supply Co, Inc., based in Taunton, Massachusetts, is New England’s largest independent food distributor and the twelfth largest in the United States. AGAR offers a wide range of solutions for the food service industry. The company is New England’s premier supplier of meats, poultry, seafood and grocery items as well as dairy products, non-perishables, non-food items, janitorial supplies and small wares. AGAR distributes popular national brands along with being the exclusive distributor of the Nautifish® Seafood brand and the portion cut marinated meats and poultry brand Bull Pen®.

Source: Reinhart Foodservice, L.L.C.