Cozzini Bros. in Des Plaines acquires Maestranzi Brothers
Cozzini Bros. Inc., a cutlery sharpening and exchange services company in Des Plaines, said it will merge with Maestranzi Brothers Grinding & Supply, which operates under the trade name Wisconsin Cutlery.
The joint company will operate under the Cozzini Bros. name. Maestranzi is a cutlery, sharpening services and food equipment machine repair company based in Harwood Heights.
Giustino Maestranzi immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1920s and eventually found his way to Chicago where he began sharpening knives. The company has been providing cutlery sharpening and machine repair services to local businesses ever since. Maestranzi Brothers is today owned and operated by two fourth-generation brothers, Bart, 51, and Vince, 47, Maestranzi, and their brother-in-law, Vince McEnaney, 47. All three will join Cozzini.
"We have long respected Maestranzi Brothers as a formidable competitor providing excellent customer service in the greater Chicago market, where both of our companies were founded generations ago" said Cozzini Bros. CEO Ed Finnegan. "Joining forces with Maestranzi will strengthen our ability to service the ever-growing needs of our customers and to provide additional relevant services, including repairing slicer machines and various food processor machines and refurbishing meat grinder cylinders, rings and worms. Cozzini Bros. will benefit tremendously from the expertise and leadership of Bart, Vince and Mac, and we are honored to partner with them and their entire team."
"Maestranzi Brothers is thrilled to partner with Cozzini Bros.," noted Bart Maestranzi. Maestranzi Brothers will maintain its existing operations and employees in Harwood Heights.
Established in 1905, Cozzini Bros., partnered with Birch Hill Equity Partners last year to support the continued growth strategy driven by additional strategic partnerships, acquisitions and enhanced selling efforts. The strategic partnership with Maestranzi Brothers, represents the 33rd such transaction in the last seven years and the second since Birch Hill partnered with Cozzini's.