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Private equity firm MidOcean Partners has acquired Casper’s Ice Cream, a manufacturer and distributor of frozen novelty and ice cream products. Headquartered in Cache Valley, Utah, Casper’s sells its products through the FatBoy, Jolly Llama and ChurnBaby brands. The frozen novelties producer – which operates three manufacturing facilities – also offers co-packing services. Available across the US, the company’s offerings include ice cream sandwiches, cones, bars, sticks, cups and other formats. Founded in 1925, Casper’s was owned by the Merrill family for more than 95 years. Daniel Penn, managing director at MidOcean, commented: “MidOcean has been evaluating opportunities in the branded food category for a number of years, with a specific focus on the highly attractive frozen novelty category”. “We are honoured to be a part of the Casper’s family and look forward to being great stewards of the legacy built by the Merrills over the last 95+ years.” MidOcean operating partner Steve Spinner, who will serve as chairman of the Casper’s board, said: “Casper’s offers a wide variety of delicious products for its customers with numerous avenues for continued growth via expanding into new geographies, channels and product lines. We look forward to executing this strategic plan by working closely with the Casper’s team.” Paul Merrill, a third-generation family member, added: “Having grown up in this business, I’m honoured to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather, Casper Merrill, in pursuing the next phase of growth for Casper’s...I could not be more excited to see where the FatBoy brand can go with additional resources and talented people at the table.” The financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. The deal marks MidOcean’s second investment in branded food in the last six months, following the firm’s acquisition of Louisiana Fish Fry last year.