AdvancePierre Foods has acquired Barber Foods, a Portland, Maine-based, company which manufactures and distributes their signature stuffed chicken breasts as well as other chicken products.
Barber's more than 300 frozen products are both raw and fully cooked, and feature a wide variety of stuffed chicken breasts and an assortment of other frozen chicken products, including chicken nuggets, chicken fingers, and chicken fillets.
"The high-quality products, top-notch manufacturing facility and family values of Barber Foods makes it an excellent addition to AdvancePierre," said Bill Toler, CEO of AdvancePierre Foods. "We are very enthusiastic about what Barber brings to our existing and future retail, foodservice and convenience business, as well as opportunities to expand our presence through their East Coast location. We continue to aggressively pursue our strategy of acquiring high quality companies that fit within our business model."
AdvancePierre Foods is the result of a merger in October, 2010, between Pierre Foods, Advance Food Company, and Advance Brands. The combined company supplies protein and handheld convenience products to the foodservice, school, retail, club, vending, and convenience store markets. AdvancePierre offers a full line of packaged sandwiches, fully cooked chicken and beef products, Philly-style steak, breaded beef, pork and poultry, and bakery products.
"As the food industry continues to consolidate and bigger players emerge, it was the right time for Barber Foods to join forces with a growing industry leader like AdvancePierre," said David Barber, son of the founder of Barber Foods and its current president. "Our products are a terrific complement to their existing line, and we share similar philosophies about our priorities of food safety, quality, service and productivity leading to growth. It's a great fit."
Barber's Portland, Maine manufacturing facility will become part of the AdvancePierre family of operating facilities.