By: FoodInCanada.com
Toronto private investment holding company, Kilmer Van Nostrand, has acquired English Bay Batter Inc., a B.C.-based premium bakery company
Toronto – A private investment holding company has acquired English Bay Batter Inc., a bakery company that produces premium gourmet cookies and frozen and refrigerated dough.
Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited is the private investment holding company of Toronto businessman Larry Tanenbaum. It also has offices in Montreal.
The acquisition was announced on Sept. 25, but no financial details were released.
English Bay, which is named after a beach located in downtown Vancouver, B.C., began as a retail bakery outlet in 1983 in that city. Jack Seguin is the company’s founder, who created the first cookie recipes that were hand scooped and baked for the retail outlet.
As the business grew in popularity, the company moved from the outlet to manufacturing plants, keeping the same name and approach to gourmet baking.
Today English Bay Batter has six food plants that employ more than 200 people. In Canada there are two facilities in B.C., three in Ontario and one in the U.S. in Columbus, Ohio.
English Bay Batter offers products for foodservice, in-store bakeries, private label, C-stores and club stores. The company also offers its own brand, as well as co-manufacturing, private label and blending opportunities.
The company’s products include frozen cookie dough in pre-portion sizes, scoop and bake pails, chubs, break and bake, and seasonal canisters. The company also offers frozen muffin batter in pails for scoop and bake convenience. The baked plant offers gourmet cookies, muffins, brownies, fruit bars and graham crumbs. The company also expanded its offerings with a pastry line that includes biscuits, scones, cinnamon buns, crescent rolls and pie crusts; a dry blend division offering bakery and drink mixes; salad dressings available in pails to foodservice; and a fine line of English Bay chocolates.
In a statement, both companies say Ravenna Capital, led by Robert Molyneux, played an important role in identifying the opportunity and assisting Kilmer Van Nostrand throughout the acquisition process. Kilmer will be joined on the board of English Bay by the company’s founder, Jack Seguin, and by Martin Jamieson, former president of The Pillsbury Company in Canada and the U.K. and former head of Loblaw Brands.