Dessert Holdings Acquires Dianne’s Fine Desserts
Dessert Holdings, North America’s leading premium dessert company, has acquired Dianne’s Fine Desserts, a leading provider of premium frozen thaw-and-serve desserts, from Geneva Glen Capital. The acquisition expands Dessert Holdings’ assortment of products supplied to the foodservice industry. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.
Founded over 40 years ago, Dianne’s innovative product line includes cheesecakes, layer cakes, pies and tarts, brownies and bars, individual minis and specialty desserts using high quality ingredients and chef inspired craftsmanship. Dianne’s operates two Global Food Safety Initiative-certified manufacturing facilities.
“Dianne’s possesses a distinctive set of product capabilities and customer relationships that are highly complementary with Dessert Holdings,” said Paul Lapadat, CEO of Dessert Holdings. “Dianne’s has an exceptional, innovative team that we are thrilled to welcome to the Dessert Holdings family.”
In conjunction with the transaction, Dianne’s Chief Executive Officer Mike Knowles and President Dan Scales will be retiring.
“We are proud to have grown Dianne’s into a differentiated national supplier and value-added partner to the foodservice channel,” said Knowles. “We are excited for Dianne’s to become part of Dessert Holdings and believe its scale platform and capabilities will enable us to continue to grow,” added Scales.
Adam Schecter and Jeff Gonyo, managing directors at Geneva Glen Capital, said, “We are truly thankful to Mike and Dan and the entire Dianne’s management team for the incredible effort and dedication that resulted in a strong outcome for all of us. The team was able to navigate exceptionally well through the challenges of the pandemic while maintaining focus on continuous operating improvements and delivering first in class menu products to its customers. We are excited to see the Dianne’s team take the next step in their growth as part of Dessert Holdings.”
Dessert Holdings was represented in the transaction by Ropes & Gray as legal advisor, PwC as accounting advisor, and William Blair as exclusive financial advisor. Dianne’s was represented by Katten Muchin Rosenman as legal advisor, RSM as accounting advisor, and Lazard as exclusive financial advisor.
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Bake Fest Holiday Edition Scheduled for Oct. 8
The Bake Fest Holiday Edition, a virtual learning event for bakers taught by well-known baking influencers, is set for Oct. 8.
Founder Stefani Pollack held the first Bake Fest in May 2021, with the second one in May. Pollack is a blogger and social influencer with nearly one million Instagram followers on her @cupcakeproject account.
The events typically draw about 1,000 attendees from all over the United States, Pollack said.
“Our next online event is all about holiday baking,” she said. “It’s taking place on Oct. 8 and includes eight hands-on holiday baking classes and business of baking classes as well as video chat networking opportunities with bakers and baking brands in our virtual marketplace.”
Tickets are on sale for $15 on thebakefest.com. Prices go up to $25 on Oct. 1.
“If you are a home baker, baking business owner, or aspiring baking business owner, this event is for you,” Pollack said. “It will be a day filled with classes, holiday shopping opportunities, prizes, and networking.”
Classes include:
- Product demos and Q&As in the virtual marketplace
- Discounts from all marketplace vendors
- A chance to win incredible prizes
- Recordings for a full year
Topics and speakers include eight baking and business classes with recordings for a full year:
- Easy-Peasy Holiday Baking – Jessie Sheehan
- Wafer Paper Ornament Cake Decorating – Katelyn Brewer
- A Mid-Century Christmas Sugar Cookie – Mitzi Torgersen
- Holiday Cookie Design – Liz Joy Murray
- Showstopper Christmas Tree Cupcakes – Jyoti Nanra
- How To Raise Your Prices And Make More Dough – Laura Luk
- Holiday Business Talk – Porsha Kimble
- How To Create, Market, And Sell Virtual Holiday Baking Classes – Amanda Shonberg
Day-of shopping discounts and prizes will be available to attendees from participating brands: Castiron, Amoretti, CakeSafe, ClearBags, Eddie, The Edible Ink Printer, Canvas, Cake and Cookie Planner, Bob’s Red Mill, Simply Delish, Impact Products, Cabot, Caljava, Lolly’s, Sweet Elizabeth and Swans Down.
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DYI Monster Chocolate Pops Kit to Launch for Limited Time
Families looking for a fun Halloween activity have a unique new option: tinyB Monster Chocolate Pops, an at-home chocolate-popsicle making experience. This easy-to-use kit helps kids of all ages make monster, ghost, or mummy popsicles with creamy brigadeiro (Brazilian chocolate truffle) filling.
The limited edition kit contains everything needed to temper and mold chocolate popsicle shells, fill them with brigadeiro and cover them with colorful toppings, making it simple to make chocolate Halloween ghouls and let children, family, friends and co-workers express their creativity. Kits will be available exclusively online starting on Sept. 5.
“We’ve had such a great reception for our DIY brigadeiro kits, we decided to make a Halloween monster version,” said tinyB Chocolate founder Renata Stoica, who uses her Brazilian family recipe to make tinyB brigadeiros. “The kits are a fun at-home activity for families and a great team-building activity in corporate settings. Besides, shouldn’t everyone know how to make a Monster Pop?!”
The one-of-a-kind popsicle kit comes with pouches of dark and white chocolate (used to make the outside of the popsicle) and 4 ounces of dark chocolate brigadeiro and pumpkin spice latte brigadeiro for the inside. The kit also includes an array of spooky decorative toppings like googly eyes, colorful sprinkles, nuts, popsicle sticks and a silicone popsicle mold.
tinyB Monster Chocolate Pops are gluten-free and preservative-free. Each kit makes four complete popsicles and retails for $59. Supplies are limited and orders will be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis.
San Francisco-based chocolatier tinyB Chocolate specializes in making brigadeiros, extraordinary Brazilian truffles that are adored the world over. Family-owned and operated, tinyB Chocolate makes its authentic brigadeiros fresh to order.
Stoica’s recipe strikes a perfect balance — avoiding the bitterness of dark chocolate or the sweetness of extra sugar. Perfect as gifts or wedding favors, tinyB brigadeiros are handcrafted, beautifully packaged and delivered within two days anywhere in the continental United States.
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