Arbor Investments, Chicago, has acquired River Falls, WI-based Best Maid Cookie Co. Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of branded and private label gourmet cookies and dessert bars in both fully baked and frozen dough formats. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Founded in 1943 by Swedish immigrant baker C. Arthur Erickson, Best Maid provides custom-formulated, gourmet-quality baked cookies and pre-portioned cookie dough products to foodservice, convenience store and fundraising channels across the United States.
Best Maid’s CEO, Deb Dartsch, who is Erickson’s daughter, and president, Ron Thielen, will continue to manage the company, which will continue to operate out of its existing 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.
Best Maid joins Arbor Investments’ Le Petit Pain baking platform, which includes New French Bakery Inc., a Minneapolis-based commercial bakery that manufactures premium branded and private label take-and-bake and fresh artisan breads. Mike Schultz, an Arbor operating partner, oversees the Le Petit pain platform.
“Best Maid enjoys a distinguished reputation in the sweet goods industry for product quality, innovation and customer service,” says Brody Lynn, vice president at Arbor Investments. “The company’s management and employees have built a remarkable business and culture, and the complimentary product offerings at New French Bakery will enable both companies to provide greater service to their customers.”
“We are elated to be partnering with Arbor,” says Dartsch. “Their extensive and unparalleled experience in the food industry, and in particular the baking segment, made them a perfect fit for Best Maid, our management team, employees and customers. Over the past 70 years, the company has experienced tremendous growth adhering to our core principles, and we look forward to Arbor continuing that legacy and leading us in our next phase of growth.”