Butterfly Equity Moves Deeper Into Food Packaging With Sabert Acquisition

Butterfly Equity has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sabert Holding Corp., extending the food-focused private equity firm's expansion into packaging and adding a manufacturer with 13 production facilities around the world.

The transaction, announced September 22, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed. Sabert founder and executive chairman Albert Salama is expected to remain a meaningful minority investor after closing, aligning the company's founder with Butterfly and management for the next stage of the business.

Headquartered in Sayreville, New Jersey, Sabert manufactures food packaging across plastic, paper and molded fiber. Nine of its 13 manufacturing facilities are in the United States. Its customers span foodservice distribution, supermarkets and grocery, restaurants and quick-service chains, fresh protein businesses and food processors, giving the acquisition relevance across several parts of the food supply chain rather than a single packaging niche.

The deal also deepens Butterfly's relatively recent push into packaging. Earlier in 2026, the investor acquired ePac, a specialist in digitally printed flexible packaging. Adding Sabert broadens that exposure into a much larger multi-substrate platform and puts Butterfly behind packaging businesses serving both consumer packaged goods and foodservice markets.

Sabert says its business is supported by more than 400 product patents as well as internal research, tooling and innovation capabilities. That technical base is commercially significant as food companies and operators balance convenience, performance, cost and changing sustainability requirements across packaging formats.

The acquisition comes as prepared food, delivery, grab-and-go retail and foodservice continue to make packaging an increasingly strategic component of the food economy. Butterfly has framed packaging as infrastructure for the broader food ecosystem, rather than simply an adjacent manufacturing category.

Kirkland & Ellis advised Butterfly on legal matters, while KPMG advised on financial and tax matters. UBS Investment Bank and Goldman Sachs advised Sabert. Committed financing is being provided by UBS Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs & Co. and KKR Capital Markets.

Sources: Butterfly Equity announcement via Business Wire, https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260922496687/en/Butterfly-Acquires-Sabert-a-Leading-Global-Provider-of-Innovative-and-Sustainable-Food-Packaging-Solutions ; Kirkland & Ellis transaction announcement, https://www.kirkland.com/news/press-release/2026/09/kirkland-advises-butterfly-equity-on-acquisition-of-sabert ; Sabert, https://sabert.com/