Harris Williams & Co., a middle market investment bank, announces the sale of a majority stake in DPI Specialty Foods (DPI) to Arbor Investments.

DPI, a subsidiary of Ireland-based Ornua Co-operative Limited (Ornua), is a sales, marketing and logistics provider supplying over 40,000 perishable and non-perishable specialty food SKUs.

The sale of DPI is consistent with Ornua’s strategy of re-allocating capital to support continuing investment in enhanced routes to market for Irish dairy produce through its businesses across global markets.

 “Ornua and management executed upon multiple strategic initiatives to establish DPI as a leading specialty food distribution platform,” said Tim Alexander, a managing director in Harris Williams & Co.’s Consumer Group. “The company’s entrenched customer and vendor relationships, differentiated service offerings and reputation for quality garnered significant interest in the market. Arbor Investments shares management’s vision and will be a phenomenal partner for DPI’s continued growth and success.”

“DPI fulfills a unique niche within the food distribution industry,” added Ryan Budlong, a director at Harris Williams & Co. “Today’s grocery retailers are utilizing specialty food products to drive traffic and retain an increasingly discerning consumer. DPI’s product breadth and value-added services provide its customers with access to the on-trend, gourmet, natural, organic, local and other specialty foods that allow grocery retailers to compete effectively in a competitive marketplace.”

DPI is one of the largest specialty food distributors in the United States with a leading position in perishable foods. The company offers a unique and a differentiated service offering that simplifies the category for retailers and fosters long-term customer partnerships. DPI provides sales and services to national retailers, regional retailers, independent operators and foodservice providers through eight distribution centers strategically located across the country.

Ornua, formerly the Irish Dairy Board, is an agri-food commercial co-operative which markets and sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Irish dairy processors and the Irish dairy farmer. Ornua’s core purpose is to bring quality Irish dairy products to markets around the world. Operating from 19 subsidiaries worldwide, Ornua has sales and marketing teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe from Algiers to Beijing to Lagos and LA.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Arbor Investments is a specialized private equity firm that focuses exclusively on acquiring premier companies in the food, beverage and related industries. The firm has acquired or invested in over 43 food, beverage and related companies in North America.