C.H. Guenther & Son acquires three Canadian bakeries

Nov. 27, 2013, San Antonio, TX – C.H. Guenther & Son has acquired Golden West Baking Company, Gizella Pastry and Les Boulangeries Rene.

The Golden West Bakery and Les Boulngeries Rene facilities produce buns, rolls and English muffins for the quick serve, foodservice and retail grocery channels. Gizella Pastry produces frozen dessert items such as cheesecakes, layer cakes, brownies and bars.

Rene Fluri established Gizella Pastry in 1960 as a retail pastry shop in
Vancouver. He expanded into the wholesale bakery trade in 1967. In 1984,
Fluri was asked to build a bun and muffin bakery to support a major
restaurant chain, which led to the creation of Golden West Baking
located in Vancouver. In 2003, Fluri acquired Les Boulangeries Rene
located in Montreal.

"Rene, his management team, and employees have built an impressive array of businesses that service many of the same customers that we supply today, but with an expanded geographical reach into Canada,” said Dale Tremblay, president and CEO of C.H Guenther & Son, in a media statement. “The product capabilities are also very complimentary to both our European bakery business, as well as our U.S. frozen dough and baked goods businesses."

The details of the transaction were not disclosed.

"The sale of the business to C.H. Guenther & Son allows me to spend more time with family and enjoy some of the other important activities I have going on here in Vancouver and in Switzerland," said Fluri, in a press release. "CHG has a great 163-year history servicing customers and consumers alike, and as with our Canadian businesses, has created a very family-oriented culture for all employees."

German immigrant Carl Hilmar Guenther founded C.H. Guenther & Son in 1851. The company produces a variety of branded and customer food products for retail and foodservice. With this acquisition, Guenther will have nine production facilities in the U.S., three in Canada, and three in Europe (U.K. and Belgium).