Middleby Acquires Italy’s Gorreri Food Processing Technology
Photo courtesy Middleby Corporation
The Middleby Corporation has acquired Gorreri Food Processing Technology based outside Parma, Italy. Gorreri is a leading manufacturer of equipment for the baked goods industry, including cakes, pies, muffins, tarts and other desert line solutions. The company operates in a state-of-the-art, 50,000-square-foot facility, which was recently expanded to accommodate growth. Gorreri has revenues of $20 million annually.
“Gorreri is a highly respected brand recognized worldwide for premium-quality advanced industrial and semi-industrial baked goods solutions. This acquisition adds a broad line of complementary products to our food processing group, including turbo mixers, dosing, injecting, decorating, enrobing and ultrasonic portioning solutions. The Gorreri innovative end-to-end solutions extend and significantly strengthen the current Middleby offerings as a leader in the cake and desert categories, with meaningful growth synergies,” said Tim FitzGerald, Middleby CEO.
Visit www.gorreri.com for more information on the company and their full line bakery solutions.
In early November, Middleby announced the acquisition of JC Ford, a leading manufacturer of tortilla production equipment systems. Founded in 1945, the company is based in Columbia, Tenn., and has $70 million in annual revenues.
JC Ford offers a broad range of automated, full-line solutions for corn and flour tortillas, tortilla chips, and other corn-based snacks. In 2021, the company moved into a state-of-the-art, 132,000-square-foot production facility in its Nashville-area headquarters. The consistent increase in consumer demand for tortilla products has made it one of the fastest growing baked food segments both in the U.S. and abroad.
“We have targeted the snack food category as an attractive growing market for our Food Processing Group. The acquisition of JC Ford complements our existing product offerings, significantly strengthening our presence in this faster growing category. The company has developed innovative solutions that have been quickly accepted as the industry standard, allowing customers to automate production lines with a low cost of ownership. JC Ford has highly recognizable customers with a strong base of recurring revenue,” FitzGerald said. “We see significant opportunities to leverage synergies providing for added growth and margin opportunities.”
More information on JC Ford can be found at www.jcford.com.
The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice industry. The company develops and manufactures a broad line of solutions used in commercial foodservice, food processing and residential kitchens. The company showcases its advanced solutions in its Innovation Kitchens for commercial foodservice, industrial baking and protein Innovation Centers for food processing solutions and state-of-the-art, award-winning Residential showrooms. For more information, please visit www.middleby.com.
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US Agricultural Exports in ’25 Forecast at $170B
U.S. agricultural exports in fiscal year 2025 are forecast at $170 billion, up $500 million from the August forecast. This projection is primarily driven by increases in livestock and dairy exports.
Beef exports are projected $400 million higher to $8.8 billion as higher volumes offset lower unit values. Dairy exports are raised $300 million to $8.4 billion based on increased U.S. price competitiveness for a number of products.
Overall livestock, poultry, and dairy exports are forecast to increase by $700 million to $39.3 billion. Grain and feed exports are forecast at $36.5 billion, up $200 million from the August forecast, as higher exports of corn and sorghum more than offset moderately lower wheat and feed and fodder exports.
Horticultural exports are projected at $41.7 billion, up $200 million from August due to increases in fresh and processed fruit and vegetable exports. Oilseed and product exports are projected at $33.5 billion, down
$500 million due to lower soybean and peanut volumes. Cotton exports are forecast down $200 million to $4.3 billion due to lower volumes. The forecast for ethanol exports is lowered by $100
million to $4.2 billion, as falling export unit values offset slightly higher volumes.
Exports to Mexico, the top U.S. agricultural market, are forecast $700 million higher from the August projection to $29.9 billion, driven by continued robust demand for a range of products.
The export forecast for Canada is $300 million higher to a record $29.2 billion, supported by a strong economic outlook. Agricultural exports to China are forecast at $23.3 billion, down $700
million from the August projection.
U.S. agricultural imports in FY 2025 are forecast at $215.5 billion, up $3.5 billion from the August projection, led by increases in horticultural as well as sugar and tropical product imports.
The forecasts in this report are based on policies in effect at the time of the Nov. 8 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates release. Click here for the full report.
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Legacy Food Group Promotes President/COO Miller to CEO
Legacy Food Group has promoted President and COO John H. Miller to chief executive officer effective Jan. 1. In his new role, Miller will help lead expansion efforts while continuing his focus on operational efficiencies as LFG continues to bring together regional independent foodservice distributors. Already this last year, John has helped integrate and coordinate the efforts of new five divisions, all of which came into the organization.
Miller’s promotion marks the next step in his impactful leadership journey at LFG, where he has already made a significant imprint on the company’s operations by leveraging his deep industry expertise and strategic mindset to accelerate the company’s growth, streamline operations, and enhance profitability across divisions.
“I’m honored to take on the role of chief executive officer at Legacy Food Group,” said Miller. “I look forward to leading this exceptional team as we continue to drive growth, strengthen our partnerships, and deliver value across the organization.”
Current CEO Steve Push will transition to the role of executive chairman, also effective Jan. 1, where he will remain actively involved in shaping the company’s long-term vision and strategic direction, focused on acquisitions initiation.
“This is the logical next step in the evolution of the LFG Leadership team. When we conducted a nationwide search to fill John’s current position, we interviewed a few dozen qualified candidates. We wanted to make sure we hired someone who could quickly ascend to the CEO role. John has done that. John’s track record of driving growth, fostering innovation, collaboration and leading with integrity makes him the ideal CEO for our next chapter. His ability to navigate complex challenges with a strategic and people-focused approach has already had a tremendous impact on our organization,” said Push. “I, and the rest of the LFG Board of Directors have full confidence that under his leadership, Legacy Food Group will continue to thrive and reach new heights.”
Miller’s background over the past 25 years is rooted in executive leadership across food distribution, logistics, acquisitions, risk management, and finance. He has cemented his reputation as a strategic leader through key restaffing efforts, operational expansions, and consistent financial growth. Miller also importantly has experience running both a large family-owned independent distributor in Glazier Foods Company and multi-billion-dollar operations within Sysco Corporation, which offers him a balanced perspective as the LFG platform continues to evolve with organic growth and additional acquisitions. His results-driven approach and ability to lead diverse teams through change has been a hallmark of his career.
“I’m excited to build on our success and guide Legacy Food Group into its next phase of expansion, innovation, and growth,” said Miller.
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