San Francisco, California, April 3, 2019 – Encore Consumer Capital, a private equity firm that invests exclusively in leading consumer products companies, has completed the sale of Van Law Food Products Inc. (Van Law) to Stir Foods, a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners. Van Law is a leading manufacturer of liquid food products including salad dressings, sauces, marinades, syrups, beverage bases, and flavorings for private label and contract manufacturing customers.
Scott Sellers, managing director of Encore Consumer Capital, said, “It has been a great pleasure for us at Encore to have partnered with John Gilbert and the talented team at Van Law. Under John’s leadership, Van Law experienced strong growth as a result of expanded capacity and the addition of new product lines to support its customer base. Van Law is positioned for continued growth as part of Stir Foods.”
“Through a very productive four-year partnership, Encore helped guide us from a traditional seventy-year-old privately held company to a successful private equity owned business. Encore was instrumental in providing guidance, vision and experience to help us through what can be a disruptive transition,” said John Gilbert, Van Law President. “We are excited about our new partnership with Stir Foods and Wind Point Partners, and thank the Encore team for helping us move to the next chapter in our history.”
Harris Williams provided strategic and financial advisory services to Van Law and Encore, while Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP acted as legal counsel.
About Encore Consumer Capital
Encore Consumer Capital is a San Francisco-based private equity investment firm focused on the consumer products industry. The firm has raised over $600 million in equity capital and invested in over 30 companies. Encore’s current and prior investments include food and beverage companies (Aidells Sausage Company, Brownie Brittle, Fantasy Cookie, Full Sail Brewing, Isopure, Mesa Foods, Navitas, Thanasi Foods, Cece’s Veggie Co.,), pet products companies (ThunderWorks, Zuke’s) and personal care/beauty companies (Supergoop!, MyChelle Dermaceuticals, tarte), among others. The firm targets companies with between $10 million and $100 million in annual revenues where Encore’s strong operating expertise in strategy development, brand marketing and distribution expansion can help drive performance.
About Van Law
Van Law is headquartered in Fullerton, California and manufactures a wide range of liquid food products including salad dressings, sauces, marinades, syrups, beverage bases, and flavorings for private label and contract manufacturing customers. Please visit www.vanlaw.com.
About Stir Foods
Stir Foods is a custom manufacturer of soups, sauces, dressings, and fresh salsas for both retail and foodservice customers. Founded in 2000, the Company is headquartered in Orange, California. Stir Foods currently operates five SQF production facilities. Please visit www.stirfoods.com.