Lipari Foods Expands Specialty Offerings With Proposed Acquisition of Leo A. Dick & Sons Co.

Warren, MI, January 19, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Lipari Foods, a leading Midwest food distributor based in Warren, Mich., has reached an agreement in principle to acquire the specialty and gourmet business of Leo A. Dick & Sons Co. of Canton, Ohio. The acquisition will strengthen Lipari’s existing specialty grocery product portfolio which includes a broad range of natural, organic and gluten-free foods. Mr. Leo A. Dick, the president of Leo A. Dick & Sons, and Mr. Lawrence J. Dick, the Vice President of Leo A. Dick & Sons, will join Lipari’s specialty food division. 

The addition of Leo A. Dick & Sons follows Lipari’s 2015 acquisition of Wisconsin-based Soderholm Wholesale Foods, which also boasted an extensive specialty grocery product line. The acquisition will strengthen Lipari’s strategic position of being one of the leading “perimeter of the store and specialty” wholesale food distributors in the US. 

"Our customers continue to bring more natural, organic and specialty products into their stores in order to meet the needs of today's consumer. With the acquisition of Leo A. Dick & Sons, we will continue to deliver high quality product solutions to our customer base."

Thom Lipari, President, CEO

“Our customers continue to bring more natural, organic and specialty products into their stores in order to meet the needs of today’s consumer,” says Lipari Foods President/CEO, Thom Lipari. “With the acquisition of Leo A. Dick & Sons, we will continue to deliver high quality product solutions to our customer base.” 

"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with one of our industry's leaders. I look forward to bringing our extensive capabilities and a lifetime of experience in specialty food distribution to support Lipari Foods. This will benefit our current customers by increasing our product offering more than tenfold and enable Lipari Foods to represent a broader and more innovative product selection,” says Leo Dick, whose grandfather founded the business nearly a century ago. 

The acquisition is subject to completion of definitive documentation and satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and is expected to occur in the next several weeks. 

About Lipari Foods, LLC 

Lipari Foods was founded in 1963 by Jim Lipari, who began his career by delivering unique products from the back of his Buick station wagon. Today Lipari Foods is a leading independent “perimeter of the store” distributor in the Midwest, delivering a wide range of quality bakery, dairy, deli, packaging, seafood, meat, grocery, foodservice, confectionery and convenience food and beverage products to over 5,000 customers across 13 states. 

About Leo A. Dick & Sons Co. 

Leo A. Dick & Sons, Inc is a specialty grocery distributor based in Canton, Ohio. With over 7,000 specialty food items representing more than 400 manufacturers and purveyors of gourmet foods; Leo A. Dick & Sons services food markets in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Western Pennsylvania.