The Capital Corporation is proud to announce its role as the exclusive advisor to Mannon Specialty Foods, Inc., doing business as Classic Cookie (“Classic Cookie” or the “Company”), in its recent partnership with Legacy Bakehouse. Headquartered in Sevierville, Tennessee, Classic Cookie is one of the largest independent manufacturers of cookies, brownies, and cookie dough products in the United States. Legacy Bakehouse, based in Waukesha, Wisconsin, is a portfolio company of Benford Capital Partners and a leading developer and manufacturer of baked snack ingredients, including bagel chips, rye chips, pita chips, and other products for prominent consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail customers.
A Legacy of Excellence: Classic Cookie’s Four Decades of Success
Since its founding in 1984, Classic Cookie has built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality branded and private label products. The company takes immense pride in its American manufacturing roots and maintains an unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service. Operating from a state-of-the-art, 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Sevierville, Tennessee, Classic Cookie produces a wide range of cookie, brownie, and cookie dough products that serve multiple channels, including vending, convenience stores, fundraising, specialty retail, foodservice, school nutrition programs, and grocery chains.
Jon Mannon, CEO of Classic Cookie, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “While we are incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past 41 years, we recognize that Classic Cookie is only beginning to tap into its full growth potential. By partnering with Legacy Bakehouse and Benford Capital Partners, we will have access to additional resources that will allow us to accelerate our growth while maintaining the high standards of quality and service that our loyal and expanding customer base expects.”
A Synergistic Partnership for Growth
Legacy Bakehouse, backed by the expertise of Benford Capital Partners, brings decades of experience in scaling businesses and enhancing operational capabilities. With three SQF-certified manufacturing facilities spanning over 130,000 square feet—two in the greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and one in Sevierville, Tennessee—Legacy Bakehouse is well-positioned to support Classic Cookie’s continued success.
Brian Behm, Principal at Benford Capital Partners, praised the leadership team at Classic Cookie, saying, Joey Mannon, Jon Mannon, and Mike Pollard have built an outstanding business with a stellar reputation for delivering exceptional cookie and brownie products to their vending, retail, and foodservice customers. We are honored that Classic Cookie chose to partner with Legacy Bakehouse, and we are excited to continue serving our customers with the same dedication to excellence that has defined both companies.
The Role of The Capital Corporation
Devin Green, COO of The Capital Corporation, highlighted the meticulous process undertaken to ensure the best possible outcome for Classic Cookie. “We conducted a comprehensive and competitive process to identify the ideal strategic partner for Classic Cookie,” Green explained. “The combination of Classic Cookie’s robust brand presence, strong reputation across diverse sales channels, and Benford Capital Partners’ proven track record of scaling companies, along with Legacy Bakehouse’s experienced team and synergistic alignment, made this partnership a natural fit for all parties involved.
The Capital Corporation, headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, with additional offices in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina, served as the exclusive investment banking advisor to Mannon Specialty Foods, Inc. on this transformative transaction. With nearly three decades of experience, The Capital Corporation has established itself as a trusted advisor to lower middle-market companies, leveraging its deep industry knowledge and global network to deliver exceptional results for its clients.
About Classic Cookie
Founded in 1984, Classic Cookie operates from its expansive, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Sevierville, Tennessee. The company specializes in producing branded and private label cookie, brownie, and cookie dough products that cater to a variety of markets, including vending, convenience stores, fundraising organizations, specialty retail, foodservice, school nutrition programs, and grocery chains. For more information about Classic Cookie,
About Legacy Bakehouse
Legacy Bakehouse is a leader in the development and manufacture of baked snacks and snack components, including cookies, bagel chips, rye chips, pita chips, tortillas, and more. The company serves a broad range of CPG and retail customers and operates out of three SQF-certified manufacturing facilities totaling over 130,000 square feet. Legacy Bakehouse is committed to delivering high-quality products and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of its customers.
About The Capital Corporation
Since its founding in 1991, The Capital Corporation has provided merger and acquisition advisory services to lower middle-market companies across various industries. With a team of seasoned professionals boasting backgrounds from Wall Street and Fortune 500 companies, The Capital Corporation has successfully closed hundreds of transactions. As one of only four investment banks in the United States to achieve exclusive IMAP membership, the firm offers unparalleled access to a global buyer network spanning more than three dozen countries. For additional information,
About Benford Capital Partners
Benford Capital Partners, founded in 2004 and based in Chicago, Illinois, is a private equity firm focused on acquiring and building leading lower-middle-market companies in collaboration with founders and management teams. Since its inception, Benford Capital Partners has acquired over 50 companies and currently owns 15 platform companies. The firm’s areas of focus include industrial technology, food and consumer products, agricultural products and services, and B2B e-commerce.
