Lamb Weston acquires Crackerjack Foods

Lamb Weston has announced the acquisition of Crackerjack Foods, a Victorian-based manufacturer and supplier of frozen potato-based products for the national food services industry.

With over 70 years of history, Lamb Weston is a supplier of frozen potato, sweet potato, appetiser and vegetable products to restaurants and retailers around the world. Committed to producing Australian grown and made potato products designed for the Aussie market, Lamb Weston Australia has a local team, grower partnerships and two processing facilities in Hallam, Victoria.

Commenting on the acquisition, Simone Anderson, Lamb Weston Vice President and General Manager Oceania said that the Crackerjack brand has a strong established customer base in the food distribution sector and is synonymous with potato cakes and battered snacks.

“Crackerjack Foods is a great fit for us — it provides another avenue for our potatoes, adds value to our existing product offering, and enhances our processing capacity and capability,” Anderson said.

Two Crackerjack Foods processing lines are included in the acquisition, one located in Keilor and a new highly automated purpose-built facility for in-line frying of battered products in Campbellfield. Crackerjack’s existing employees will join Lamb Weston.

“Acquiring Crackerjack Foods offers us a new range of products that complement our current portfolio and increases the options available to existing and new customers. We’re thrilled to strengthen our business here in Australia, drive further growth and innovation, and create more value for our employees, growers, customers and stakeholders,” she said.

Crackerjack Foods CEO Bill Fotiadis said Lamb Weston’s shared commitment to quality, customer service and local partnerships was key to the acquisition’s progress.

“We have built Crackerjack Foods to where it is today through high-quality product and reliability, innovation and improvement, and of course, our people,” Fotiadis said.

“It was always important to us that the new owners of Crackerjack Foods would not only be in a position to move the business forward but would continue to deliver on the promises our customers now expect. Knowing Lamb Weston shares so many of the same values gives us great confidence that the future of Crackerjack Foods and our employees is in the best hands.”

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