Middleby Acquires JC Ford, Leader in Tortilla Chips Production Systems

The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD)has announced the acquisition of JC Ford, a leading manufacturer of tortilla production equipment systems. Founded in 1945, the company is based in Columbia, Tenn., with USD 70 million in annual revenues.

JC Ford offers a broad range of automated, full-line solutions for corn and flour tortillas, tortilla chips, and other corn-based snacks. In 2021, the company moved into a state-of-the-art, 132,000-square-foot production facility in its Nashville-area headquarters. The consistent increase in consumer demand for tortilla products has made it one of the fastest-growing baked food segments both in the U.S. and abroad.

Tim FitzGerald, CEO of Middleby:

"We have targeted the snack food category as an attractive growing market for our Food Processing Group. The acquisition of JC Ford complements our existing product offerings, significantly strengthening our presence in this faster growing category."

"The company has developed innovative solutions that have been quickly accepted as the industry standard, allowing customers to automate production lines with a low cost of ownership. JC Ford has highly recognizable customers with a strong base of recurring revenue. We see significant opportunities to leverage synergies providing for added growth and margin opportunities."