Carmela Foods in Fraser, a specialty food and fine wine distributor in the Midwest, has acquired Great House Foods in Williamsburg, east of Traverse City. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the acquisition, Carmela Foods has retained and hired all Great House Foods employees and is in the process of merging the infrastructure and capabilities of the two companies.
Beginning immediately, customers throughout Michigan and Ohio can order all Great House items through their Carmela Foods sales representatives.
“All of us at Carmela Foods are very excited by our recent acquisition of Great House Foods,” says Paul Buscemi, CEO of Carmela Foods, which services thousands of retail and food service accounts throughout Michigan and Ohio. “Great House is well known for the exceptional quality of the Michigan brands they distribute, and for offering consistent, customer-focused service.
The transaction follows Carmela Foods’ recent acquisitions of Broglin, Sunrise, and the brands formerly held by Cherry Capital.
“Carmela Foods is now the preeminent distribution source for the finest Great Lakes food brands,” Buscemi adds. “We’re thrilled to add the Great House portfolio to our Michigan-made lineup, which now includes over 250 brands from farmers, winemakers, and producers all over the state.
“We’re also excited to bring our rapidly expanding Michigan portfolio to stores, restaurants, and chains that were previously served by Great House.”
Founded in 1992, Carmela launched with just one employee, one product, one truck, and one customer. The goal was to create a curated portfolio that would introduce the Great Lakes states to the finest foods and wines in the world.
Today, the company offers a product portfolio that includes premium items from six continents and a fleet of refrigerated trucks making daily deliveries across two states – with more on the way.
Great House Foods was founded in 2013, and distributes Michigan retail and foodservice brands throughout Western, Central, and Northern Michigan.
For more information about Carmela Foods, visit carmelafoods.com/.
