Zeppole Mix Company Sponsors Italian-American Comedian
Zeppole, LLC is sponsoring popular Italian-American comedian Mike Marino.
“Marino directs his comedy towards all types of people, particularly Italian-Americans,” said CEO Joseph Camerieri, creator of Zeppole Mix. “But more importantly, he is an Italian-American and so passionate and emotionally excited about the product, hence I could not be happier with our sponsorship of Mike Marino.
“He fits our ideal demographic. We love his comedy tour ‘Make American Italian Again‘ and his podcast ‘Live from My Mother’s Basement‘ with past guests like Beverly Hills 90210 star Ian Ziering and actor Joe Montagna from ‘Criminal Minds’, Sean Kanan ‘Karate Kid Part 3’.”
Although the Zeppole mix has been around for a long time, few people are aware of the back story that led to its inspiration. There was a famous Manhattan Italian Feast of San Gennaro, a booth, a real Italian married couple, and now the company announces they will be sponsoring a well-known spokesman and comedian.
Joseph’s mother, Gaetana “Chickie” Camerieri, was born and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. While growing up, she often celebrated the Feast of San Gennaro. In 1976, Mother Gaetana moved to Florida along with her husband and three children. Years later, as a member of a newly formed Italian women’s group, she pitched the idea of an Italian Feast of San Gennaro to be showcased in Safety Harbor. Fla. The festival soon grew to 15,000 attendees for a three-day weekend event.
Over the years, this recipe was the reason why over 500,000 Zeppole were sold at numerous Italian festivals. As time went on, Joseph Camerieri decided to develop a formula for turning their popular recipe in to a dry mix that could be sold to make at home. Also, the mix could easily be done at home into the tasty treat offered at the festival.
“We couldn’t believe how our Zeppole became such a hit with the festival goers, every year,” Camerieri said. “We hope this unique delicious mix turns out to be somehow a tribute to mom and dad.”
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HKW Recapitalizes Golden Country Oriental Food, Golden Ocean Seafood
HKW has recapitalized Golden Country Oriental Food LLC and its wholly owned subsidiary, Golden Ocean Seafood Inc. The Lee family will remain significant investors in the company, and the management team will remain in place.
Golden Country is a distributor of authentic ethnic foods primarily servicing the grocery, wholesale, and foodservice channels. It is a distributor of frozen seafood servicing the same channels. The company carries more than 3,500 dry, refrigerated, and frozen SKUs sourced from over 20 countries.
“The Lee family has built a tremendous business,” said John Carsello, Partner at HKW. “We have a long track record in specialty distribution and believe we can be a value-added partner for Golden Country as the business enters its next growth phase.”
“From our beginnings as a small grocery store in the early 70s servicing customers in Chicago’s Chinatown, we have grown to service customers throughout the Midwest,” said Sidney Lee, CEO. “This new partnership with John Carsello and his team will enable Golden Country to achieve our ambitious growth objectives and continue to provide our customers with the best product selection at affordable prices.”
“Golden Country is poised to benefit from market and demographic trends and is in a good position to accelerate expansion through add-on acquisitions,” said Michael Terrell, Vice President at HKW. “We intend to use a comparable playbook at Golden Country as we have in the past on similar investments.”
Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP served as legal counsel to HKW. G2 Capital Advisors, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Golden Country.
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Blue Point Capital Acquires Asian Appetizer Maker Water Lilies Food
Blue Point Capital has acquired Water Lilies Food, LLC, a portfolio company of AUA Private Equity Partners, with global investment bank Harris Williams advising Water Lilies on the sale.
Water Lilies is a manufacturer of frozen Asian appetizers that are primarily sold through supermarkets, restaurants and ethnic markets.
“Water Lilies is the go-to Asian appetizer supplier for retailers, brands, and foodservice operators and has achieved impressive growth through its consistent innovation and focus on quality,” said Brant Cash, a managing director at Harris Williams. “The company experienced a tremendous amount of success during its partnership with AUA Private Equity, and we look forward to its next chapter of growth with Blue Point.”
“We continue to see a high degree of interest in value-added manufacturing platforms from both strategic buyers and financial sponsors,” said Brant Wilczek, a director at Harris Williams. “Water Lilies’ unique ability to develop premium, innovative products combined with its scale and manufacturing flexibility provides the company with tremendous runway for future growth in a category experiencing significant momentum driven by consumer demand.”
Based in Bay Shore, N.Y., Water Lilies is a manufacturer and provider of premium, inspired Asian cuisine for major retailers, private label, consumer brands and foodservice operators. Founded in 1995 with a commitment to food safety, quality and innovation, the company has established itself as a preferred partner to its customers across a variety of authentic, inspired products, with a particular focus on frozen appetizers such as egg rolls, spring rolls, potstickers, and dumplings.
AUA Private Equity is a West Palm Beach, Fla.-based, operationally focused, lower-middle market investment firm providing strategic capital to companies in the consumer products and services sectors with a particular focus on family-owned businesses. AUA Private Equity typically makes equity investments of $20 million to $75 million in companies that generate in excess of $5 million in EBITDA.
Blue Point is a private equity firm managing over $1.5 billion in committed capital. With offices in Cleveland; Charlotte, N.C.; Seattle; and Shanghai, Blue Point’s geographical footprint allows it to establish relationships with local and regional entrepreneurs and advisors while providing the perspectives and resources of a global organization. Blue Point has over a two-decade history of partnering with lower-middle market businesses to build processes and capabilities to achieve dramatic growth. The firm focuses on opportunities where it can leverage its collective experience, extensive network of operating resources, and focused add-on acquisition efforts as well as its unique toolkit, which includes supply chain/Asian capabilities, improved digital marketing or data strategies, and talent acquisition and diversification efforts. Blue Point typically invests in businesses that generate between $30 million and $300 million in revenue.
Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
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