Published: July 19, 2006 11:06 pm         

Advance Food Co. acquires Quik-to-Fix label

Enid’s Advance Food Co. officials announced Wednesday they will acquire substantially all assets of Quik-to-Fix Foods from parent company Smithfield Foods. Inc. The acquisition includes facilities in Garland and Harlingen, Texas.

Company officials did not disclose the financial terms of the definitive purchase agreement.

“This acquisition is another step in our company’s efforts to bring the very best in value-added products to our customers,” said Advance President Greg Allen. “The Quik-to-Fix product lines are complementary to our existing products, creating a synergy that will help Advance Food Co. reach our goal of becoming the unconditional leader in our product categories.”

Quik-to-Fix product lines include value-added, fully cooked and ready-to-cook beef, pork and poultry products under the Quik-to-Fix, Chomps, HealthFULLS, Philly Freedom and Gorges brand names. The company’s products are available to both the retail food and food service industries. Its two locations in Texas have more than 450 employees.

Advance was founded in 1973 by Paul Allen and Dave McLaughlin in Enid and is a leading national manufacturer of value-added, center-of-the-plate meat products for the food service industry. It continues to grow its operations in Enid with recent multi-million-dollar facility expansions.

The company manufactures pre-portioned, ready-to-cook and fully cooked beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken and turkey products. The majority of these products are breaded, and approximately half are fully cooked.

Among its most popular products are Country Fried Steaks, Steak-EZE Philly Steaks, SmartServe Charbroiled products, Kitchen Sensations homestyle meals in boilable bags and a new line of 54th Street Deli fully prepared sandwiches.

Advance products reach customers in restaurants, business and industry food service venues, schools and universities, military bases and health care facilities.