How active is Private Equity / PE-Backed Roll-Up in food distribution acquisitions?

13 disclosed private equity / pe-backed roll-up acquisitions of food distribution businesses analyzed (7 from 2018+). Run the ExitValue.ai calculator to see what this buyer pool would pay for your specific business.

Who are the most active private equity / pe-backed roll-up buyers of food distribution businesses?

Top recent acquirers by deal count: Bartlett and Company, Inc. (1 deals), Aurora Cannabis Inc. (1 deals), Brenntag Specialties, LLC (1 deals), 2326230 Alberta Ltd. (1 deals), Sysco Corporation (1 deals), Acomo N.V. (1 deals).

BUYER POOL ANALYSIS

Selling a Food Distribution to Private Equity / PE-Backed Roll-Up buyers

Private equity firms and PE-backed platform consolidators acquiring for roll-up, add-on, or platform plays. Pricing tends to lead the market for fee-viable scale, with multi-bidder competitive processes above the EBITDA floor.

Quick answers

How many disclosed transactions?: 13 deals total (7 from 2018+), filtered to Private Equity / PE-Backed Roll-Up acquirers of food distribution businesses.
Most active buyers: Bartlett and Company, Inc. (1) · Aurora Cannabis Inc. (1) · Brenntag Specialties, LLC (1) · 2326230 Alberta Ltd. (1) · Sysco Corporation (1) · Acomo N.V. (1)
What would this buyer pool pay for my business?: Run the ExitValue.ai calculator to see your food distribution priced against the 13 disclosed private equity / pe-backed roll-up transactions in this segment. The engine surfaces the specific multiples that apply to your size, margin, and growth profile.

Recent disclosed deals

Private Equity / PE-Backed Roll-Up acquisitions of food distribution businesses with named target and named acquirer.

Year	Target	Acquirer
2025	Ceres Global Ag Corp.	Bartlett and Company, Inc.
2022	Bevo Agtech Inc.	Aurora Cannabis Inc.
2021	JM Swank, LLC	Brenntag Specialties, LLC
2021	Sunora Foods Inc.	2326230 Alberta Ltd.
2021	The Coastal Companies	Sysco Corporation
2020	The Organic Corporation B.V./Tradin Organics USA LLC	Acomo N.V.

What this buyer pool prices for

Private equity acquirers price for scale and roll-up arbitrage. They pay up for businesses that fit a platform thesis - recurring revenue mix above 30%, technician/professional depth, clean financials, and a management layer that survives integration. A food distribution that fits the platform thesis prices materially above what an individual buyer would pay because PE is buying a platform piece, not an owner-operated shop.

Methodology note

Deal flow shown reflects disclosed M&A transactions in the ExitValue.ai database, filtered to food distribution businesses acquired by private equity / pe-backed roll-up buyers. Deal counts shown reflect deals with disclosed financials only - total transaction count for this buyer pool is typically 2-3x larger. The valuation engine reveals the specific multiples that apply to your business when you run the calculator above. Full methodology

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