D’Artagnan, the Union-based food company that has been a leader in popularizing the sustainable “farm to table” movement over last 35 years, has been acquired by Illinois-based Fortune International, the companies announced Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
D’Artagnan is known as a purveyor of free-range meat and all-natural organic poultry, game, foie gras, mushrooms and truffles to the U.S.’ most renowned restaurants and retailers. The acquisition by Fortune will help expand the company’s geographic footprint into D’Artagnan’s markets, as well as add new relationships with leading retailers.
In addition, the acquisition provides an opportunity for Fortune to offer new products to consumers directly, as part of D’Artagnan’s successful and fast-growing e-commerce business.
D’Artagnan founder Ariane Daguin will remain with D’Artagnan, continuing her life’s work as a devoted advocate for natural, sustainable and humane production, at the forefront of America’s organic movement, as well as continue to develop the D’Artagnan Farms Foundation. D’Artagnan will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Fortune Fish & Gourmet.
Fortune CEO Sean O’Scannlain was thrilled to announce the deal.
“We are excited to welcome Ariane and her talented team to our platform as the preferred supplier to top restaurants and retailers in the U.S.,” he said. “In joining together, we combine Fortune’s strength in fresh seafood with D’Artagnan’s in free-range meat, offering customers their protein needs across virtually any market.
“We also look forward to building upon D’Artagnan’s successful direct-to-consumer e-commerce services. Ariane and her team have created a spectacular business and a best-in-class brand in our industry, and we are honored she has elected to join our growing Fortune family.”
Founded in 1985, D’Artagnan has been redefining the meat industry, distributing organic, antibiotic and hormone-free meats many years ahead of consumer demand for “clean label” and farm-to-table offerings.
Since its inception, D’Artagnan has grown from a one-truck and two-employee business to a nationally recognized food brand by developing a network of independent farmers and ranchers that abide by the strictest standards to deliver the highest-quality, best-tasting, conscientiously raised meat possible. Headquartered in Union, the company has approximately 260 employees and over 80 trucks working from five primary operations located in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas.
Daguin said she is happy to announce the next step in the growth of the company.
“I am excited to partner with and join Fortune, which is a company as committed to its customers and uncompromising service as we have always been,” she said. “We have come a long way from our humble beginnings, 38 years ago. I am extremely excited for D’Artagnan’s future and want to thank our customers and vendors for their support through all these years.”
