Hearthside Food Solutions acquires Oak State Products

DOWNERS GROVE - Hearthside Food Solutions said it will acquire Oak State Products, a privately held contract manufacturer of cookies, bars and other baked foods located in downstate Wenona.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

The acquisition will enable the company to add immediate baking capacity as the demand for food contract manufacturing continues to grow. The Oak State production facility brings the Hearthside production network to a total of 24 facilities. Both Hearthside and Oak State are contact manufacturers for premier food companies and global brands.

"Oak State represents an opportunity to add instant capacity to our network. Their flexible production lines complement our existing large scale lines, creating additional options for our customers," said Rich Scalise, Hearthside founder and chairman. "We see synergies in operations, cultures and customers. Most importantly, Oak State is already a mature, well-run operation. We anticipate a smooth and rapid integration."

Hearthside, with 20 production facilities in the U.S. and three in Europe, is the largest contract manufacturer of bars and baked goods in North America and the largest producer of functional bars in the E.U. The Oak State acquisition will add one additional U.S. manufacturing location, bringing the network to 24 facilities.