Ferraro Foods Acquires GDS Foods Inc.
Ferraro Foods, one of the country’s largest specialty distributors of food and foodservice supplies to pizzerias and Italian restaurants, has acquired New Jersey-based GDS Foods Inc., an importer and distributor of Italian food products to pizzerias throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Ferraro’s partnership with the Sussex, N.J., based business, with nearly $50 million in annual sales revenue, expands Ferraro’s growing network of distribution hubs in a crucial market for pizzerias, adds hundreds of customers to its roster and helps broaden Ferraro’s industry leading offering of specialty imported Italian food products.
“We are excited to partner with GDS, a terrific family-run business with strong roots in the area going back 35 years. We love the business, we love the people, and they have a loyal customer base that aligns perfectly with Ferraro’s. Just as important, GDS is pizza to the core, so they are a perfect fit for the Ferraro culture,” said Dan Hill, CEO, Ferraro Foods.
The GDS partnership is the latest in a robust acquisition pipeline under development by Ferraro, aimed at increasing its market share in critical Northeast pizza markets – home of the country’s largest concentration of independent pizzerias. The news comes on the heels of Ferraro’s announcement of its addition of a 230,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Long Island.
“Ferraro Foods is pizza,” Hill added. “That message is reverberating throughout the industry as we continue to increase our customer base as the premier provider in the specialty Italian foods space.”
Headquartered in New Jersey since its founding as a family business nearly 50 years ago, Ferraro Foods is America’s leading distributor of specialty Italian foods and foodservice supplies to pizzerias and Italian restaurants. With a concentration in the critical pizza markets of the Northeast and customers spanning 26 states serviced by distribution divisions in Upstate New York, Long Island, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Indiana, Ferraro Foods boasts annual sales revenue of nearly $1.3 billion. Working every day to earn and build trusted relationships by delivering an unrivaled menu of authentic, top-quality offerings, unmatched specialized category expertise and consistently exceptional value and service, Ferraro Foods is pizza.
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