NEW YORK — Teasdale Foods has acquired Louisville, Ky.-based Mesa Foods, a producer of private label tortillas, flatbreads, taco shells, taco kits and chips. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Teasdale, which is majority owned by private equity firm Snow Phipps Group, said the acquisition of Mesa further enhances its national footprint in the Hispanic foods category. In combination with Teasdale's offerings in beans, hominy, salsa, hot sauces and now tortillas, taco shells and flatbreads, the company is able to offer a one-stop shop of Hispanic inspired food products across the United States. Teasdale operates facilities in Atwater, Calif.; Hoopeston, Ill.; Greeley, Colo.; Buda, Texas; and a corporate office in Dallas.
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| Chris Kiser, c.e.o. of Teasdale |
“We are excited to welcome Mesa into the Teasdale family,” said Chris Kiser, chief executive officer of Teasdale. “Mesa adds tortillas to our portfolio, which are a core part of Hispanic snacking favorites such as quesadillas, wraps, fajitas, burritos and enchiladas. Teasdale offers all the product categories necessary to help bring the best of Hispanic food to consumers.”
Mesa Foods will continue to operate as a division of Teasdale Foods with the existing management team continuing on with the business, the company said. For 10 years (from 1998-2008) Mesa Foods was owned by ConAgra Foods and operated under the name Casa de Oro Foods L.L.C. In 2008, the company was purchased by Ted Longacre, Charles Sinon and Charles Kraut and began operating again under the name of Mesa Foods Inc.
For Snow Phipps, the acquisition of Mesa Foods builds on its strategy of creating a comprehensive Hispanic foods platform diversified across product, customer, channel and geographic exposure. With the acquisition of Mesa, Teasdale will be able to provide an entire suite of private label and branded Hispanic food products to a diverse customer base across a variety of channels, including retail, food service, restaurants and wholesale.
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| Peter Shea, chairman of Teasdale and operating partner for Snow Phipps |
“We are pleased to have executed on a number of Teasdale’s unique growth opportunities and look forward to our continued expansion,” said Peter Shea, chairman of Teasdale and operating partner for Snow Phipps. “Mesa rounds out Teasdale’s product offering and will allow us to drive further growth by providing customers with best in class products, service, innovation and market insights.”
Mesa is the third follow-on acquisition that Snow Phipps has completed in partnership with the management team since Teasdale was acquired in October 2014. In October 2015, Teasdale acquired Jardine’s Foods, a producer of natural and organic sauces, including salsas, dips, quesos, barbecue and hot sauces. In December 2015, Teasdale acquired Casa Fiesta, a provider of authentic Mexican foods in the beans, peppers, sauces, corn products and seasonings categories.
