Horizon Partners Acquires

Second Peanut Processing Business

Horizon Partners, through its Universal Blanchers portfolio company, announced the acquisition of Seabrook Enterprises and Pert Laboratories, from E D & F Mann plc. in London.  The purchase includes all of the assets of Seabrook, which consist of a peanut blanching plant in Sylvester, Georgia; a dry roasting and peanut butter facility in Edenton, North Carolina; and Pert Laboratories, a food product development and testing services business with facilities in Colquitt, Georgia and Edenton, North Carolina.  With over $50 million in sales, Seabrook is a leading manufacturer of bulk peanut butter for the confectionary industry and the second largest blancher of peanuts behind Universal.

Universal Blanchers, LLC is an independent food ingredient manufacturing and service company specializing in nut products. The Company currently has blanching and roasting operations in Blakely, Georgia and Dublin, Texas.  Universal was acquired by Horizon Partners and several managers in October 1999.

According to Robert Feerick, chairman of Horizon, “This acquisition solves Universal’s need for additional blanching capacity in the Southeast and provides finished ingredient solutions for our customers. While this move follows earlier consolidation of the peanut shelling industry, it clearly meets Universal’s vision to provide its customers with a greater variety of peanut products and food ingredients. It moves Universal’s products a couple of steps down the supply chain.”

Norman Mackenzie, CEO of Universal Blanchers, stated that "Seabrook has a global reputation for outstanding quality, service, and dedicated employees and is an ideal strategic fit for Universal.  We feel that with the combined expertise of the Seabrook and the Universal staff, we can provide our customers with an even higher degree of service and quality.  Plus, the addition of Pert Labs will extend the service we are able to offer our customers." 

Horizon Partners, Ltd. is a private investment holding company which acquires and builds companies.  The Company has diverse interests in food processing, membrane switch manufacturing, weather forecasting systems to the transportation industry, and recreational snowshoes.  Horizon is headquartered in Milwaukee.

Universal Blanchers, LLC