2012 Mason Wells Acquires Whitehall Specialties, Inc.

Mason Wells announced today that it has closed on the acquisition of Whitehall Specialties, Inc. (“Whitehall”). The business will be owned by Mason Wells, management, and other co-investors. Headquartered in Whitehall, Wisconsin, the company is a leader in the production and marketing of custom analog and processed cheese products. Whitehall was founded in 1994 and operates from three production facilities, two in Whitehall, Wisconsin, and one in Hillsboro, Wisconsin.

Analog, or imitation, cheese is used in a variety of food processing, food service, and retail applications. Analog cheese products contain a unique blend of natural dairy and non-dairy ingredients. Whitehall offers a complete line of products including block, shredded, dried and grated, individually wrapped slices, and slice-on-slice. Whitehall’s products are sold worldwide as branded and private label retail products and are also sold as ingredients to food processors and food service providers.

“Mason Wells is delighted to be partnering with Whitehall Specialties to continue expanding its market reach and developing new products,” said Greg Myers, senior managing director of Mason Wells. “Whitehall has a tremendous reputation in the market due to its dedicated employees, and a culture devoted to serving its customers with the highest quality products.”

“We are excited about our new partnership with Mason Wells and believe its experience in supporting growth-oriented businesses by bringing additional resources to the table will benefit Whitehall’s customers, suppliers, and employees, and enable us to grow globally,” said Steve Fawcett, Whitehall’s President, and Chief Executive Officer.

Co-investors included Northleaf Capital, PPM America, Audax Mezzanine, and the management of Whitehall. Senior financing for the transaction was led by BMO Capital Markets, and mezzanine financing was provided by Audax. For more information on Whitehall, visit www.whitehall-specialties.com.