Irish food service distributor Sysco Ireland has agreed to acquire Ready Chef Ltd, in a move which Sysco Ireland has said will broaden its offering of fresh and prepared food.
Founded in the 1960s, Ready Chef specialises in supplying fresh and prepared fruit and vegetables to the Irish food sector. The company currently 100 people at its purpose-built refrigerated warehousing and product preparation plant in Glasnevin.
Ready Chef generated €18.9 million in revenue in 2022, increasing by 51.8 per cent on the previous year’s revenue of €12.5 million.
The family business was founded by William Tallon Senior, and the company has been run by his sons David and William since 1990.
Managing director of Ready Chef William Tallon said that joining the Sysco family will secure the long-term future of the family business.
“Together with Sysco Ireland we will continue to grow Ready Chef in the prepared fruit and vegetable sector of the food service market,” he said.
Ready Chef will continue to operate under the leadership of the current management team.
Also evolved from a family-owned business started by the Geary family, Sysco Ireland employs more than 1,500 people across Ireland and sources more than 15,000 food products, of which 70 per cent is local Irish produce.
Mark Lee, chief executive of Sysco Ireland, said that the acquisition will bring together the expertise, resources and talent of both organisations.
“The acquisition of Ready Chef allows us to broaden our range and service capability in the fresh and prepared produce category and solidify our position as the industry leader in fresh food service on the island” he said.
“Following the completion of this transaction, Ready Chef will function as an independent division of Sysco Ireland, mirroring the approach taken with our Classic Drinks business,” he added.
The acquisition is subject to Competition and Consumer Protection Commission approval.
Sysco Ireland forms part of the global Sysco corporation which operates 334 distribution facilities worldwide and generated sales of more than $76 billion (€70.5 billion) in the year to July 2023.
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