New Berlin-based
Pritzlaff Wholesale Meats, a full-service meat distribution and processing company serving restaurants, hotels, country clubs, health care facilities and more, has been acquired by Chicago-based private equity firm
Shore Capital Partners.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Following the acquisition, Shore Capital has launched a new business platform, called
Whetstone Distribution, which consists of regional food distributors.
The launch of Whetstone follows Shore Capital's partnership with Chicago-based Moesle Meat Distribution Co. in 2022 and the subsequent addition of Kansas City-based Queen Foods.
“After 80-plus years of family ownership, and four generations of family involvement, I’m extremely excited to be partnering with Whetstone Distribution,” said
Bruce Pritzlaff, president of Pritzlaff Wholesale Meats. “This partnership allows us to further strengthen and grow all core aspects of our company as well as expand our geographic footprint, from Wisconsin and Northern Illinois further into the greater Midwest.”
Herb Pritzlaff opened the company's first shop on Vilet Street in downtown Milwaukee in 1942. The company now has two facilities in southeast Wisconsin, where it processes specialty prepared and ready-to-eat Riverside meats label products, including pastrami, corned beef, sausage, and other smoked and marinated specialty meats.
“Whetstone’s newest acquisition of Pritzlaff is a testament to the team’s commitment to building a robust and diversified food distribution platform,” said
Richard Boos, partner at Shore Capital Partners. “We are excited to support the platform as these partners continue to create long-term, transformational growth in the food distribution industry.”
