Sysco buys Waugh Foods to grow foodservice distribution business

Sysco has entered into an agreement to acquire Waugh Foods, an Illinois-based foodservice distributor with approximately $40 million in annual sales.

Headquartered in East Peoria, Waugh Foods was founded in 1948 as Waugh Frozen Food Company. The firm provides products to customers throughout Illinois.

Waugh Foods executives will continue to manage the business, including Rick Look, Tim Waugh and Joe Waugh Jr.

Greg Bertrand, Sysco executive vice president of US foodservice operations, said: “Waugh Foods has a long, rich history in the central Illinois area, which includes strong relationships with local independent operators.

“We are excited to welcome Waugh into the Sysco family and believe this acquisition is a perfect complement to our existing local and regional presence.”

The deal follows on from Sysco’s acquisitions last year of UK-based frozen food distributor Kent Frozen Foods and Louisiana-based Doerle Food Services.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sysco operates approximately 330 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 600,000 customer locations. For the 12 months to 30 June 2018, the company generated sales of more than $58 billion.

Last August, the company said it aims to divert 90% of operations and food waste from landfills as part of its 2025 responsibility goals. It has also set a target of sourcing 20% of its electricity from renewable sources and powering 20% of its fleet vehicles with alternative fuels by 2025.