Deli Star Corporation, a producer of high-quality cooked meats, merged on April 1 with King’s Food Products, a Belleville, Illinois-based producer of confectionary fudge and a co-packer of several brands of sauces, dressings and salsas. The merged company, with common ownership by the families of brothers Dan and Tom Siegel, will operate under the Deli Star name, while preserving the King's Food brand name for its key product line of specialty fudge.

Deli Star’s facility in Fayetteville, Illinois, will continue producing fresh, never frozen premium meats for foodservice customers under the Deli Star Classic, Chef’s Edge, Gaucho, and Simple Promise brand names. The Belleville, Illinois, facility will continue producing fudge, sauces and related products for its foodservice and retail customers.

Both facilities will now benefit from Deli Star’s St. Louis Innovation Center (SLIC), a state-of-the-art, restaurant-style kitchen and research and development facility – and creative home base for Deli Star’s culinary innovation team. Key initiatives include developing new products and processes with a focus on expanding development and production of the King’s Food line of fudge for retail and foodservice sale, while supporting company growth plans by offering customers the best protein and sauce solutions in the industry. 

“King’s Food and Deli Star have been part of our family’s heritage for 25 and 30 years respectively, and we are proud of the success and solid reputation both companies have earned over the years,” said Deli Star president Justin Siegel. “While reviewing both companies’ growth strategies, and by working with our customers at our St. Louis Innovation Center, our leadership team realized the synergies and opportunities that could be created if we combined operations.”

Leadership of the newly merged Deli Star will remain the same, with Justin Siegel serving as president and with Dan Siegel and Tom Siegel continuing to serve on the board. All 90 employees will retain their jobs, and all King’s Food employees will now be offered enhanced benefits and the opportunity to be part of an exciting culture that promotes personal growth opportunities.

“By allowing Deli Star to serve as an innovation pipeline for development of fresh never frozen meats, sauces and related products, while leveraging the King’s Food name to bolster the development of our premium fudge line, we will greatly enhance our ability to deliver quality, innovative, clean label products with great value to our customers,” added Siegel.

Source: Deli Star Corp.