March 9, 2016

Specialized food and beverage private equity firm, Arbor Investments, has agreed to acquire South Coast Baking for an undisclosed amount.

The acquisition will work to build out Le Petit Pain Holdings, Arbor Investment’s baking platform, which already includes Mister Cookie Face, New French Bakery, DPI Specialty Foods Inc., Best Maid Cookie Company, and Hudson Baking Company Inc. Le Petit Pain Holdings is overseen by Mike Schultz, operating partner with Arbor and 20-year veteran of the baking industry.

Founded in 2011 by baking industry veteran, Kent Hayden, Irvine, California-based South Coast produces its three lines of cookies out of two facilities located in Irvine and Springdale, Arkansas, supplying them to a wide range of grocery retailers, food service distributors and quick service restaurants.

"The addition of South Coast transforms Le Petit Pain into a formidable player in the North American baking landscape," said Schultz in a company statement. "The Company's complimentary product offering and strategic manufacturing locations will create significant opportunities to expand the platform's geographic reach across all product categories."

Founded in 1999, Arbor Investments has been working to build up its portfolio of baking industry assets in recent years. In 2014 the group acquired Best Maid Cookie Co., and after selling its stake in Gold Standard Baking to private equity firm Tricor Pacific Capital early last year, Arbor acquired Hudson Baking in the fall of 2015.