Strategic acquisitions are driving success for leading food innovator, Sigma Foodservice, as it breaks into new markets
Leading international supplier of craveable and innovative food favorites, Sigma Foodservice (Sigma), has gone from strength to strength over the last few years. Following several major acquisitions, the company is now looking to expand into new markets and territories. As Director of Marketing, Shawn Munck, begins: “Our philosophy is that we are dedicated to bringing local food favorites to communities everywhere, and we are proud to offer a very diverse range of food products.
“Sigma operates in 17 countries worldwide, including the US, Mexico, several countries in Central and South America, and a handful of countries across Europe. We offer really high-quality products at a variety of price points, from our value range to the super premium collection. Since we’re a multinational brand, we always make sure that our offering is tailored to the local consumer market.
“We’ve always strived to be more than a traditional supplier and manufacturer for our customers. We want to build and maintain strong partnerships with our customer network, which means sharing business insights and key data-driven findings that will help both parties thrive. We are always looking for solutions that will help grow both our business and the businesses we work with.
“My work is primarily with the United States division of Sigma Foodservice and our European brands. We target quick-service, fast-casual, and fine dining restaurants, convenience stores, micro-markets, grocery retailers, and export customers and their distributors. Our mission for the coming years is to break into new market segments, specifically entertainment and sporting venues. The type of products we offer are ideal for those kinds of fun, laid back environments. We have hot dogs, sausages, corn dogs, deli meats, premium snacks, charcuterie offerings, Hispanic dairy options, and plant-based solutions, all of which can be consumed on-the-go during a show or sports game. It’s an exciting venture.”
Expanding brand portfolio
It was a series of successful acquisitions that helped catalyze Sigma’s success and establish it as an international foodservice provider. “Over the years, Sigma has undertaken targeted acquisitions in order to manage and sustain its growth. Taking on Bar-S Foods, for example, helped us expand the geographical footprint of our brand. Bar-S was already a well-known national brand, with an established presence across 50 states, so that made it a huge asset to the business. That became our flagship, and from there we acquired other Hispanic brands.
“Acquiring brands with a strong heritage that were already known and trusted by consumers helped open new markets for the company. In 2016, we used the same strategy to break into the European market. Sigma acquired Campofrio Food Group, a European heritage business, to establish its presence across Europe and the US. What’s more, Campofrio Food Group had a well-established presence in the US market under its Fiorucci brand, which was able to expand into new sales channels and geographies across the Americas.
“In total, Sigma has over 100 brands globally, and more than 46,000 employees. We also have over 60 manufacturing facilities that make up our multinational production and international distribution network. The acquisition of Bar-S Foods back in 2010 was the beginning of a new chapter for Sigma US. It helped open us up to the world, diversify our product portfolio, and begin catering to a wider range of price points. This in turn opened up new market segments and allowed us to broaden our horizons both in terms of what we produced and the businesses we could partner with. Those sorts of things provide the company with a strong foundation, so we are less vulnerable to economic fluctuations,” Shawn details.
Growth goal
A continued drive to be the best and take on the next challenge has ensured the ongoing success of Sigma Foodservice. Looking toward the future, Shawn discusses what’s next for the business: “This year, we’re taking things to another level yet again. We’ve got a brand-new US headquarters, in the North Phoenix-Scottsdale, Arizona area. One of the main reasons we relocated our US corporate office is the increased popularity of hybrid working. We found that modifying and evolving the physical office space provided employees with more flexibility and ultimately worked best for us. The new office space is geared toward this new way of working, with an emphasis on meeting rooms and large communal spaces for focus groups with consumers, collaborative sessions in our new state-of-the-art industrial testing kitchen and culinary lab, and other joint venture projects.
“Looking further ahead, we have an ambitious growth goal for Sigma Foodservice. To get us over the line, we’re focusing on strengthening our core product portfolio, as well as branching out into exciting, high-growth opportunities like dry-cured and cooked meats, convenient snacking, charcuterie, Hispanic flavors, and plant-based proteins. Finally, we’ll continue to put emphasis on the importance of collaboration, building up our people and partners, so everyone can achieve their goals,” he concludes.