What Arbor Investments does

Arbor Investments Management, LLC is a Chicago-based private equity firm founded in 1999 by Gregory J. Purcell that invests exclusively in food and beverage companies. The firm is legally domiciled as an Illinois LLC with offices in Chicago (676 N. Michigan Ave., 34th Floor) and Palm Beach, and is led by co-CEOs Gregory J. Purcell and Carl S. Allegretti alongside President John Jordan.

Arbor invests through sector-focused buyout funds, currently operating Fund VI with over $1.2 billion in capital commitments after raising Fund V at $1.5 billion in 2020. The firm has completed nearly 90 investments across its 25+ year history, with active and exited portfolio spanning baked goods (Crown Bakeries, Furlani Foods, Bradshaw Home-related categories), pet food (Red Collar Pet Foods, Carnivore Meat Company), craft brewing (Artisanal Brewing Ventures/Victory, Southern Tier, Bold Rock, Sixpoint), ingredients and flavors (Fontaine Santé, Rubix Foods, Dr. G's Creations), and foodservice equipment and tabletop (Steelite International, Golden Malted, Heartland Waffles). Notable exits include the $700 million sale of Red Collar's dry kibble business to Colgate-Palmolive (2022) and subsequent Red Collar assets to Nestle and Sunshine Mills (2023).

The firm generates revenue through management fees on committed and invested capital and carried interest from portfolio company exits. Its value proposition centers on a dedicated team of operating partners and functional experts ("Arborists") with deep food-industry operating pedigrees — alumni of Procter & Gamble, Kraft/Mondelez, General Mills, Ornua, PepsiCo, Cadbury Schweppes, Annie's Homegrown, and Champion Petfoods — who support portfolio companies across talent acquisition, brand and innovation, supply chain, and capex deployment. The firm does not develop proprietary technology products; its core differentiator is sector specialization combined with operational execution capability.

Name

Arbor Investments

Legal name

Arbor Investments Management, LLC

Website

https://arborpic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arbor Investments is a Chicago-based private equity firm founded in 1999 that invests exclusively in food and beverage companies, deploying capital through sector-focused buyout funds (Fund V $1.5B; Fund VI $1.2B+) into mid-market manufacturers and brands across bakery, pet food, beverages, ingredients, and foodservice, supported by a deep bench of food-industry operating partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity — Food and Beverage

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Growth Equity Fund-of-Funds (FSANAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Office Investment Platforms & Direct Investing (PE/VC/Co-Invest) (FSAAADAH), Capital Raising Advisory (Debt/Equity/Private Capital) (BPAHADAG)

Keywords

• Food and beverage private equity
• Specialty food investing
• Middle market acquisitions
• Consumer staples investment
• Food industry buyouts

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees and Carried Interest: Generates returns through management fees on invested capital and carried interest from successful portfolio company exits. Revenue derived from Fund V ($1.5 billion) and Fund VI ($1.2+ billion in capital commitments).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Arbor Investments is a private equity firm that acquires, operates, and grows food and beverage companies across North America. The firm raises investment funds (currently Fund V at $1.5B and Fund VI at $1.2B+) from limited partners and deploys capital into food and beverage businesses, providing operational expertise, talent, innovation support, and capital expenditure to accelerate portfolio company growth for eventual exit through M&A.

Product overview

Arbor Investments is a specialized private equity firm focused exclusively on food and beverage companies, operating as a platform of investment funds. The firm does not offer a unified technology product but rather provides private equity investment, operational expertise, and growth acceleration to its portfolio companies. The portfolio includes diverse food and beverage businesses across categories including: baked goods and bread manufacturing (Crown Bakeries, Furlani Foods), pet food production (Carnivore Meat Company, Red Collar Pet Foods), beverage brewing (Artisanal Brewing Ventures), food ingredients and solutions (Dr. G's Creations, Rubix Foods, Fontaine Santé, ACX), foodservice equipment and supplies (Steelite International, Golden Waffles, Bradshaw Home), spanning Fund V ($1.5 billion) and Fund VI ($1.2 billion+). The firm's value proposition centers on leveraging in-house operational expertise, talent investment, innovation support, and capital expenditure to grow portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Furlani: One of North America's largest manufacturers of frozen and ambient garlic bread products sold under the Furlani and Cole's brands and grocery retailer private-label programs.
• Cole's
• ABV (Artisanal Brewing Ventures)
• Bradshaw Home
• Carnivore Meat Company
• Crown Bakeries
• Dr. G's Creations
• Fontaine Santé
• Golden Waffles
• Red Collar Pet Foods
• Rubix Foods
• Steelite International
• Columbus Meats
• ACX

Products and services

• Arbor Private Equity Fund V
• Arbor Investments Fund VI
• Portfolio Operational Support Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Red Collar Pet Foods became one of fastest growing and largest independent pet food producers in North America under Arbor ownership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Furlani FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2026Arbor acquired Furlani Foods from Entrepreneurial Equity Partners (E2P) after a three-year hold period. Furlani operates bakery sites in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Mississauga, Ontario, supplying frozen garlic bread to retailers including Walmart and Aldi under Furlani and Cole's brands.
• Acxion FoodservicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2025Arbor acquired Acxion Foodservice from Prospect Hill Growth Partners. This is Arbor's second platform investment for its sixth fund ($1.2+ billion in capital commitments) and expands presence in the foodservice marketing industry.
• Golden Malted and Heartland WafflescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2023Arbor acquired Golden Malted and Heartland Waffles from Roch Capital. These are the largest suppliers of waffle irons and mixes in North America, serving over 40,000 customer locations in the foodservice industry.
• Oregon Freeze DrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2021Arbor completed the acquisition of Oregon Freeze Dry, expanding its portfolio of food processing and manufacturing companies.
• Fontaine Santé FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2021Arbor acquired a majority stake in Fontaine Santé Foods, a Montreal-based manufacturer of plant-based refrigerated foods. The company operates manufacturing facilities and distribution centers and is one of the largest independent refrigerated food manufacturers in North America. Founders Max Latifi and Melissa Latifi continue in operating roles.
• Bradshaw HomecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 October 2021Arbor acquired Bradshaw Home from ONCAP, marking its first investment after raising its $1.5 billion Fund V in 2020. Bradshaw Home designs, markets and manages kitchen tools, bakeware, cookware, food storage and home cleaning products for retailers across North America.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Brynwood Partners: Brynwood Partners is a private equity firm exclusively focused on the food and beverage sector, making control investments in established consumer brands and food manufacturers in North America. Like Arbor, it pursues a sector-specialist strategy with operational value creation and operates multiple funds.
• Swander Pace Capital: Swander Pace Capital is a private equity firm specializing in consumer products companies with a strong food and beverage focus. It invests in lower middle-market branded food, beverage, and personal care businesses, mirroring Arbor's sector focus and platform-building approach.
• Palladium Equity Partners: Palladium Equity Partners is a middle-market private equity firm with a consumer and food services focus that acquires and builds food, beverage, and related businesses. Its sector-specialist food investing and operational value creation model is highly comparable to Arbor's.
• Centre Partners: Centre Partners is a middle-market private equity firm focused on consumer products, including food and beverage investments. It targets founder-led or carveout food businesses and applies operational improvement, closely paralleling Arbor's investment strategy.
• CapVest Equity Partners: CapVest is a private equity firm with a strong food and consumer staples franchise, investing across bakery, seafood, and food ingredients. Its sector-specialist food investing playbook and platform-building approach are directly comparable to Arbor's.
• Highlander Partners: Highlander Partners is a Dallas-based private equity firm with a dedicated food and beverage investment vertical focused on branded consumer food companies. Its exclusive F&B focus and operational orientation make it a direct comparable to Arbor.
• MidOcean Partners: MidOcean Partners is a middle-market private equity firm with significant food, beverage, and consumer products expertise. It invests in branded food manufacturers and food services businesses with a similar lower-middle-market strategy to Arbor.

Broad incumbents

• Wynnchurch Capital: Wynnchurch Capital is a middle-market private equity firm with food and beverage exposure among other industrial and consumer verticals. It is broader than Arbor but shares deal size, operational orientation, and a willingness to invest in food manufacturing platforms.
• A&M Capital Partners: A&M Capital Partners is the middle-market private equity arm of Alvarez & Marsal, deploying capital across consumer and industrial sectors including food and beverage. While broader than Arbor, its middle-market food investments and operational playbook are comparable.
• TPG Capital: TPG is a global alternative asset manager with a meaningful consumer and food platform across multiple strategies. While much larger and broader than Arbor, it competes for select larger food platform deals and provides strategic buyer interest for Arbor's exits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arbor-investments

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles32 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A15 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arbor Investments