Gryphon Investors Completes Acquisition of Eight O’Clock Coffee

Gryphon Investors, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, announced that the firm and its co-investors completed the purchase of the Eight O’Clock® Coffee Company from The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P).

As a stand-alone company, Eight O’Clock will continue to manufacture its signature lines of whole bean and ground coffee for customers in the United States and Canada. The 145-year old company will remain headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, with its roasting facility in Landover, MD, and will retain its existing employee base.

“We’re very excited to acquire this well-known brand with its outstanding growth prospects,” said David Andrews, president and managing general partner of Gryphon Investors. “Eight O’Clock has a significant heritage and equity that the brand has built over the last 145 years. The company is poised for significant untapped growth opportunities across a variety of arenas.”

“The resources our new owners bring will help us build our brand and reach our full potential. We couldn’t be happier with the direction our company is headed and the opportunities before us,” said Barbara Roth, president of Eight O’Clock.

About Eight O’Clock Coffee Company

Eight O’Clock Coffee Company is a leader in gourmet coffee; it is the 3rd largest retail coffee brand in the United States and the #1 ranked retail whole bean coffee brand. The company roasts and packages 100% Arabica coffees for sale to all major retail and foodservice customers where it currently operates. Eight O’Clock also has a direct mail and e-commerce business (www.eightoclock.com) for consumers. Eight O’Clock sells coffee under the Eight O’Clock and Royale coffee brands.

About Gryphon Investors

Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors focuses on leveraged acquisitions of, and growth investments in, middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. Having managed more than $1 billion of discretionary equity capital, Gryphon has an extensive track record of investing $25 to $75 million of its own capital in companies with sales ranging from $25 to $250 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form proactive partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, professional resources and significant financial and operational expertise. Visit www.gryphoninvestors.com for more information.

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Owen Blicksilver Public Relations, Inc.
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