BERN, Kan. – C.J. Foods, Inc., a custom manufacturer of specialty dry pet food for leading U.S. super premium brands, has completed the acquisition of Lortscher Animal Nutrition, Inc. (LANI), a custom milling and ingredient supplier to the pet food industry for more than 60 years. Both C.J. Foods and LANI are based in Bern, Kan. Lani operates two additional locations in Seneca, Kan. and Brownwood, Texas.

“The purchase of Lortscher Animal Nutrition increases C.J. Foods Holdings’ investment share in the super premium pet food manufacturing space at a time when our team and board are very bullish about the future of this market segment,” said Tod Morgan, CEO, C.J. Foods.

C.J. Foods said LANI will continue to operate as a separate business unit under its current name, and the LANI management team will continue to lead the business with their proven skills and strategies to serve an ever-changing marketplace. “With the availability of additional capital for investments, we believe that LANI can be even more successful in growing the scale of its product and service portfolios while clients of both businesses will continue to receive the same high-quality products and services, which they have come to expect,” Mr. Morgan said.

C.J. Foods Holdings is a portfolio company of J.H. Whitney Capital Partners, a Connecticut-based private equity firm. J.H. Whitney Capital Partners has owned C.J. Foods since 2014 and this represents the third acquisition that C.J. Foods has completed. C.J. Foods currently serves more than 40 different brands for the U.S. and International markets and employs more than 350 people with campuses in Pawnee City, Neb., Bern, Kan. and Baxter Springs, Kan.

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