Butterfly Equity to acquire food packaging manufacturer Sabert

Nov - Food Bev - Website Banner - TIJ vs TTO 300x250.gif

Access more as a FoodBev subscriber

Sign up to FoodBev and unlock more insights from the international food and beverage industry. Subscribers have access to webinars, newsletters, publications and more...

Subscribe now >

Los Angeles-based private equity firm Butterfly Equity has agreed to acquire food packaging manufacturer Sabert Holding Corp, expanding its portfolio of businesses serving the global food and beverage sector.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Sayreville, New Jersey, Sabert manufactures food packaging across plastic, paper and moulded fibre.

The company operates 13 manufacturing facilities globally, including nine in the US, and employs approximately 3,000 people. Its customer base spans foodservice distribution, supermarkets and grocery, restaurants and quick-service restaurants (QSRs), as well as fresh protein and food processors.

Sabert has more than 400 product patents and operates research, tooling and innovation capabilities focused on packaging design and development.

Albert Salama, founder and executive chairman of Sabert, said: “For more than four decades, Sabert has been focused on developing unique solutions that help our customers respond to the changing ways consumers eat and live."

Salama continued: “Butterfly’s deep expertise and understanding of our customers and end markets make them an ideal partner for our next chapter. We look forward to working together to continue investing in innovation and delivering exceptional products and services to our customers.”

Following completion of the transaction, Salama will retain a meaningful minority investment in Sabert. The company’s management team will also continue working with Butterfly as it pursues its growth strategy.

Butterfly said the acquisition forms part of its strategy of investing in businesses across the food and beverage value chain, including packaging.

Adam Waglay, CEO, co-founder and managing partner at Butterfly, said: “As consumers increasingly prioritise convenience and flexibility in how and where they eat, packaging plays an essential role in enabling the food industry to meet those needs. We are thrilled to partner with Albert, Sabert CEO, Paul McCann and the entire Sabert team to build on the incredible business they have created.”

Sabert's portfolio covers five areas of packaging development: performance, presentation, safety, sustainability and economics. The company manufactures products across North America, as well as in Belgium, England, Poland and China.

Butterfly has previously invested in food and beverage packaging businesses including ePac Flexible Packaging, alongside companies spanning food manufacturing, ingredients, nutrition and foodservice.

Butterfly was advised by Kirkland & Ellis and KPMG, while UBS Investment Bank and Goldman Sachs advised Sabert. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and FBT Gibbons provided legal counsel to Sabert.

Committed financing for the acquisition is being provided by UBS Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs & Co and KKR Capital Markets.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.