About Founders
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FAMILY-OWNED COMPANY INVESTING ITS OWN CAPITAL
Founders is a family-owned company that invests its own capital and applies operating know-how to build a group of thriving food businesses and exceptional partnerships we can all be proud of.
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LONG HISTORY & AFFILIATIONS
Founders is backed by Tricor Pacific Capital (Rod Senft & Senft family), Saville House Holdings (Richard Harris & Harris family) and Garibaldi Blue (Derek Senft). Our partners combine deep operating knowledge with over 30 years’ experience making control investments in over 80 private companies. We have a track record of transacting with speed and price certainty as a group of highly experienced partners investing our own capital.
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BUILDING A FAMILY OF THRIVING FOOD BUSINESSES AND EXCEPTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
In 2014, we set out to build a family of related food businesses in mature categories to grow over the very long term. Since 2020, Founders is focused on its existing portfolio, including acquisition of closely-related protein platforms and add-on M&A to Armand Agra, its US protein processing and distribution business, as well as new protein platforms. In 2021, we completed a substantial add-on to Armand Agra and a new platform acquisition, Walt's Meats.
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TRICOR & SAVILLE STORYBOARDS
Download the storyboard for the Senft family's Tricor Pacific Capital and the Harris family's Saville House Holdings to get a snapshot of where Founders and its shareholders are active.
COMPANY HISTORY
Download Founders' timeline for a snapshot overview of who we are and to see how our group of companies has evolved over time.
Learn more about the Swallow.
Investment Scope
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Primarily focused on investments in food processors and distributors; also invest in related real estate.
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Primary focus on businesses with $5 to $10M of EBITDA (USD or CAD); stretching to $10 to $25M of EBITDA (USD or CAD) for exceptional opportunities; no size limitation for add-on acquisitions to existing businesses.
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Geographic focus in Midwest, Southwest or West of USA and Central / Western Canada, extending to East within priority segments (e.g., protein).
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Preference for mature and durable businesses that are cash-flow generative, and include hard assets.
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Look for opportunity to invest, grow and hold a business over very long term while offering liquidity for minority shareholders and management along the way; opportunity to contribute operating know-how to create value; opportunity for the business platform to create a bigger future; opportunity to create a mutual benefit among the different businesses in the Founders Group of Food Companies.
Our Businesses
New Business Platforms
Founders is actively seeking to add new food processors or distributors.
Click here to see our Investment Scope.
Working With Us
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PARTNERSHIP ALIGNMENT
We ensure alignment of interests and financial goals across all stakeholders, including transparent ownership rights and structures.
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REFINE STRATEGY & BUILD ORGANIZATION CAPABILITY
We partner with companies in creating a strategic road-map with a focus on value creation through building organization capability (leadership & culture, people & skills, knowledge & systems, tools and processes, metrics) and improvements in market and customer relevance.
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LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
Founders' senior team balance operating know-how with transaction and financing skills. We engage as an active Chairman and Board, creating freedom within a framework for companies in our group.
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VALUES-DRIVEN MINDSET
We have a values-driven mindset and culture.
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Our core mindsets and behaviors include: 'Love of Food', 'Always Improving', 'Be Ambitious', 'Freedom within a Framework', 'Stakeholder-oriented', 'People Matter', 'Build Organization Capability' and 'Winning with Customers & Consumers'.
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INVEST, BUILD, AND HOLD
We are business builders (vs. investors), with an explicit intention to own our group of companies indefinitely.​
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"We imagine a decentralized but integrated group of food and beverage companies,
each with the vision and ambition to be more tomorrow than they are today,
where teams are continuously focused on winning in the marketplace,
developing the strength and scalability of themselves and their businesses,
creating working lives that are more rewarding for all, and making a positive impact on society.”
Founders Team
Managing Partner
Managing Partner
Partner
Partner
VP Corporate Development
Senior Accountant
Treasury Manager
Founders Group of Food Companies Inc.
Suite 1858, 401 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5A1 Canada
Richard Harris, Managing Partner
richard.harris@foundersfoodgroup.com
+1 (604) 646-4372
derek.senft@foundersfoodgroup.com
+1 (604) 726-5051
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+1 (604) 646-4363
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+1 (604) 646-4364
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Christian Maas, Managing Director
christian.maas@foundersfoodgroup.com
+1 (604) 646-4377
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Ailsa Harris, Business Development Director
ailsa.harris@foundersfoodgroup.com
+1 (604) 505-6479
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Zak Nash, VP Corporate Development
zak.nash@foundersfoodgroup.com
+1 (604) 561-0789
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Faye Evangelista, VP Finance
faye.evangelista@foundersfoodgroup.com
+1 (604) 363-9409
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Arsh Malhi, Group Treasury Manager
arsh.malhi@foundersfoodgroup.com
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Alexander Komarov, Senior Accountant
alexander.komarov@foundersfoodgroup.com
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