A pair of New Jersey food companies are joining forces as the Fillo Factory Inc., a maker of appetizers, snacks and frozen foods that got its start in the phyllo dough sector, has acquired GeeFree Foods, a maker of gluten-free puff pastry, it announced this week.
The Northvale-based Fillo Factory has acquired Englewood Cliffs-based GeeFree, which specializes in gluten free frozen products, from franks-in-a-blanket to bagel puffs and more.
The Fillo Factory, founded in 1991, has been a copacker for GeeFree since the latter was founded in 2013. The company has a 120,000-square-foot factory in Northvale and a 25,000-square-foot facility in Lakewood — and is planning another plant for 2024.
GeeFree, co-founded by Susan Hougui and Steven Leyva, had partnered with Procida Funding in 2017 to help it grow its brand recognition and market penetration.
“We are delighted with the acquisition,” Procida Funding CEO Billy Procida said in a prepared statement. “They are a great, family-owned company with full manufacturing capability and the only company in the country who knows how to handle making our delicious GeeFree gluten-free pastry sheets and other products.
“We are excited to see what the future holds for GeeFree, as the possibilities are endless with a leading food manufacturer such as the Fillo Factory.”
The Fillo Factory, led by founder and CEO Ron Rexroth, said it plans to grow the GeeFree brand by expanding its sales team, increasing social media efforts and more. Procida will continue to support the brand, as well.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.