US food company Schwan’s is said to be eyeing a potential sale that could value the firm at more than US$2.5bn.

CNBC reported unnamed sources as saying the Minnesota-based frozen food maker has hired investment bank Piper Jaffray to review “options” that could include a sale. The sources, who asked not to be named because the process is confidential, said Schwan’s could also opt to offload chunks of the business but also cautioned a sale might not happen at all.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The privately-owned business makes products for the home-delivery, retail-grocery and foodservice channels with brands such as Red Baron, Tony’s, Freschetta pizza and Pagoda snacks.

A sale would come on the heels of a busy year for Schwan’s. Only last week, the firm announced it is setting up a new venture – Schwan’s Strategic Partner Solutions – focused on growing its private-label and contract-packaging business with ‘select’ retailers and food manufacturers. 

In September, it invested $5m in US baby meal delivery start-up Raised Real, and a month earlier it put an undisclosed amount into local business Tru Shrimp in a bid to grow in-land shrimp production.

And in July, Schwan’s expanded its presence in the pizza market with the acquisition of Better Baked Foods and Drayton Foods from NE Foods. That transaction followed the June purchase of MaMa Rosa’s Pizza from California-based private-equity house HGGC. The financial terms for both those deals were again not revealed.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact