H.I.G. Capital, San Francisco, acquired Lipari Foods Operating Co., LLC, Warren, Mich., from Sterling Investment Partners, Westport, Conn. This enables H.I.G. to partner with Lipari Foods to grow the company’s distribution and manufacturing platform.

Lipari is a distributor of perimeter-of-the-store, specialty and branded food products, including deli, bakery, dairy, specialty retail, seafood, packaging, confectionery, ethnic and organic categories.

“We are very excited about partnering with H.I.G. to support Lipari’s strategic growth plan,” says Thom Lipari, president and CEO of Lipari. “The company continues to have numerous opportunities to expand, and H.I.G.’s experience and resources, particularly around mergers and acquisitions, will help us continue our successful growth trajectory. We remain committed to providing outstanding service to our longstanding, blue-chip customers.”

“Lipari is an impressive platform that has grown significantly over the years by expanding upon its Midwestern roots,” adds Justin Reyna, managing director at H.I.G. “We are very excited to partner with the Lipari management team, who has a proven track record of profitable growth. The company’s significant customer value proposition, diverse product portfolio and unparalleled distribution capabilities uniquely position it to capitalize on growth opportunities within the food distribution, import and manufacturing markets. We look forward to supporting Lipari and investing in both organic and acquisition-driven growth in its next stage of evolution.”