• College Fresh is a national provider of food services management solutions to the higher education channel with a focus on fraternities, sororities and private residence halls
• College Fresh represents another successful transaction completed by Mesirow Investment Banking’s Food, Beverage & Agribusiness team, highlighting their expertise within the institutional food services sector

CHICAGO, January 21, 2025 – Mesirow, an independent, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced it acted as the exclusive financial advisor to College Fresh, Inc. (“College Fresh” or the “Company”), on its sale to Upper Crust Food Service (“Upper Crust”). The transaction closed on January 7, 2025.

Founded in 2010 and based in Champaign, IL, College Fresh provides comprehensive food service management solutions to collegiate fraternities, sororities and private dining halls, handling every aspect of the process from procurement and menu development to preparation and multi-daypart meal service. As one of the leading collegiate food service management companies, College Fresh offers premium, white-glove services, tailoring their offerings to meet the unique needs of its partners and the communities they serve.

“Mesirow’s expertise within food services management and their steadfast guidance during this process proved instrumental in securing an ideal outcome for College Fresh and its shareholders,” Jack Dawson, President of College Fresh, commented. “I am excited to join the Upper Crust team in a leadership role and look forward to making an impact on behalf of our employees, vendors and the amazing partners we serve.”

Paul Mariani, Managing Director and Head of Food, Beverage & Agribusiness Investment Banking at Mesirow, commented, “Exceptional food and service are essential, particularly in the education channel, and College Fresh exemplifies both. It was a privilege to advise College Fresh throughout this process.”

College Fresh represents another successful transaction completed by Mesirow Investment Banking, highlighting the firm’s expertise within the food, beverage and agribusiness industry as well as the firm’s continued depth within the institutional food services market. Mesirow Investment Banking has completed over 325 transactions in recent years across its covered verticals. Committed to leveraging extensive sector-specific expertise across industry groups and nurturing deep longstanding relationships, Mesirow has a proven track record of completing highly tailored, complex and successful transactions on behalf of its clients.