With this operation, CMI, owner of Pollo Campero, reinforces its presence in the U.S. market and diversifys its portfolio.
The Multi Investment Corporation (CMI) closed an agreement to acquire a majority shareholding stake in the company Del Real Foods, dedicated to refrigerated food in the United States.
Del Real Foods is part of the private equity firm Palladium Equity Partners (Palladium) and the Cárdenas family, founder of the business and who will hold a minority stake.
The company was founded by Jesús Cárdenas, who emigrated in 1957 with his wife and children from Jalisco, Mexico, in Southern California to start his own family farm. Del Real Foods makes food inspired by Mexican recipes, whose menu includes tamales, carnitas and sauces.
After 22 years in the United States with Pollo Campero, this investment in Del Real Foods, together with our new partners, the Cárdenas and Palladium family, significantly expands our presence in this geography, giving CMI a unique position to continue its growth plan in the U.S. market, said Juan José Gutiérrez, president of CMI Alimentos.
The Real Foods has manufacturing plants in Mira Loma, California, and Moore, Oklahoma, where it ranks as a food leader for the Hispanic community. “We are excited about the trip ahead of us with Del Real Foods, a company that shares our commitment to offer high-quality products that are consumer preference and represent the values of our culture,” added José Gregorio Baquero, CEO of CMI Foods.
CMI has strengthened its presence for two decades in the United States with its emblematic brand of Pollo Campero, where last April the 100th restaurant was inaugurated. In 2022, the group announced a $190 million investment package to double its operation in the world’s largest consumer market.
This article has been translated after first appearing in Diario El Mundo