On July 29, 2016, Give & Go Prepared Foods Corp. (“Give & Go”) completed the acquisition of Create-a-Treat Ltd., NAFTA Foods and Packaging Inc., and related entities (together, “NAFTA CAT”). The transaction was completed concurrently with the acquisition of Give & Go by US private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners LP (“THL”). NAFTA CAT will form a new division inside Give and Go, simply called “Create-a-Treat.” The financial terms were undisclosed.
Based in Toronto, NAFTA CAT is a market-leading manufacturer of edible craft products for celebrations and holidays throughout the year. NAFTA CAT is the largest North American manufacturer of gingerbread house kits, and makes and sells cookie kits and a variety of cookies. NAFTA CAT sells under the Create-a-Treat and Orbit brands, as well as under private label brands. NAFTA CAT operates three custom-built manufacturing facilities in Toronto.
Founded in 1989, Give & Go is a market leader in the North American bakery industry. Give and Go’s well-known offerings include its best-selling two-bite and Kimberley’s Bakeshoppe brands.
THL is one of the world’s oldest and most experienced private-equity firms. The firm invests in growth-oriented businesses across three broad sectors: consumer and healthcare, media and information services, and business and financial services.
THL was represented in the United States by Kirkland & Ellis LLP with a team that included Jon Ballis, Ted Frankel, Cole Parker, Adam Wexner, John Mason Wilkes and Caitlin Powell Gimpel (corporate), Eric Wedel and Rachel Gray (banking & finance), Vincent Thorn and Vivek Ratnam (tax), and Andy Barton (executive compensation), and in Canada by Stikeman Elliott LLP with a team that included Peter Castiel, Allison Jaskolka and Marc-William Carrothers (corporate), Frank Mathieu and Philippe Kattan (tax), Paul Collins and Michael Laskey (Investment Canada Act & competition), Nancy Ramalho (employment), Natasha vandenHoven (benefits), Neil Shapiro and Scott Brasil (real estate), Howard Rosenoff and Scott Perrin (financing), Larry Cobb (environmental), Ryan Sheahan and Justine Johnston (food regulatory), Jonathan Auerbach (intellectual property).
NAFTA-CAT was represented by Torkin Manes LLP with a team including Matthew Tevlin, Kobi Bessin and Adrian Myers (corporate), Catherine Nicholson (tax) and Kenneth Beallor (real estate) along with Rajeev Sharma of Sharma Lawyers (competition).