Land O’Frost, Munster, Ind., purchased Wellshire Farms, Inc., Swedesboro, N.J., a leader in the natural/organic meat space, whose products are sold in specialty grocery retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, Earth Fare and Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage.

This transaction brings together two family-owned and operated companies in the meat industry. As part of the deal, Land O’Frost will acquire all of Wellshire’s assets, including its entire brand portfolio, which features the Wellshire, Wellshire Organic, Wellshire Kids, Garrett Valley, Colameco’s, Colameco’s Primo Naturale, Lou’s Famous and Woodstown Farms and Homestyle Meals brands.

“This is an exciting time for both Wellshire and Land O’Frost. We’re bringing together two family-owned companies that are not only committed to producing quality products, but also have a rich and long-standing heritage in the meat industry,” says David Van Eekeren, president and CEO of Land O’Frost. “We’ve admired Wellshire for quite some time, and we’re impressed with their leadership in the natural/organic space and established relationships with leading retailers. We look forward to welcoming Wellshire to the Land O’Frost family, and entering the natural/organic space in such a considerable fashion.”

With the addition of Wellshire, Land O’Frost’s product portfolio now features a vast offering of natural/organic breakfast meats, deli meats, hams, hot dogs, snacking meats and specialty meats.

“Joining the Land O’ Frost family represents an important and strategic milestone for Wellshire Farms,” says Lou Colameco, president and CEO of Wellshire Farms. “The opportunity to combine forces with another family-owned and operated company as strong as Land O’Frost will provide us with the ability to further grow our brands, expand our distribution and provide new growth opportunities for our employees. In addition, we believe the combined company will also be able to reach more retail outlets and customers that value our high quality products.”