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Patriot Pickle, a Swander Pace Capital portfolio company that manufactures and distributes pickles across the US, has announced the acquisition of First Place Foods. Located in Garland, Texas, First Place Foods is a producer of fresh and fermented pickles, relish and other pickled vegetables for the foodservice and institutional channels. Based in Wayne, New Jersey, pickle manufacturer Patriot Pickle offers a variety of refrigerated pickles, sauerkraut and pickled vegetables to restaurants, delis, supermarkets and distributors. Patriot Pickle CEO Bill McEntee said that the acquisition is a "transformative opportunity" that will enable Patriot Pickle to expand its footprint, as well as capitalise on national sales and provide its customers with "dual source manufacturing".

First Place Foods president, Pat Hunn, commented: “For more than 15 years, First Place Foods has been a high-quality manufacturer and supplier of pickles and other pickled vegetables to our valued customers across the country. We are excited to partner with Patriot Pickle and Swander Pace for this next phase of growth.”

Swander Pace Capital's managing directors, Corby Reese and Tyler Matlock, added: "The broader pickled and fermented foods category has enjoyed strong topline growth as consumers continue to gravitate towards healthier snacks, and Patriot Pickle is well positioned to take advantage of this consumer tailwind. First Place Foods is the second acquisition for Patriot Pickle, and we believe there are additional opportunities to continue building out this exciting growth platform.” Last year, Patriot Pickle acquired the pickle assets of distributor Farm Ridge Foods. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.