The Gellert Global Group Acquires Heartisan Foods
Heartisan Foods, a distributor of private label and branded specialty and flavored cheese products, has been acquired by The Gellert Global Group.
Gellert owns a specialty cheese subsidiary, Atalanta Corporation, a specialty food importer of cheese, charcuterie, deli meats, grocery products, and seafood globally. Founded in 1945 and under the umbrella of The Gellert Global Group, Atalanta is one of the largest privately held food importers in North America.
Heartisan’s previous owners, Ronin Equity Partners and Landon Equity Partners, formed the company in 2021 through the acquisition and integration of three specialty cheese providers: Red Apple Cheese, Barron County Cheese, and Cheese Brothers. North Country Packaging was acquired and integrated by the Heartisan platform in 2023.
The combined platform sells more than 70 different cheese products in bricks, rounds, slices, and snack forms, covering a range of flavors and types, from smoked cheese to kosher cheese. Sold primarily through the Red Apple brand, Heartisan is the fastest-growing special cheese group in the U.S. with double-digit sales growth annually, company officials said.
“To turn Heartisan into a cohesive powerhouse, our investment partners embedded with us, overhauled the back office, and helped us create a well-oiled infrastructure from processing to sales,” said Lori Henningfield, Heartisan's chief commercial officer. “That gave us the base to expand everything from production to products rapidly.”
“The benefits we’ll be able to achieve with a diversified food group like Gellert Global’s Atalanta make this sale the natural next step in our evolution,” said Pratap Mukharji, Heartisan’s chairman of the board.
Before the current transaction, online cheese brand and distributor Cheese Brothers was carved out from Heartisan. Selling a wide range of cheese products directly to consumers, Cheese Brothers is being sold for an undisclosed sum.