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Roland Foods

Roland Foods is a New York specialty-food importer founded in 1934 by Bruno Scheidt as Établissements Roland in Paris, later relocated to the US in 1939, now majority-owned by Vestar Capital Partners and selling a broad sardine range under its Roland label.

At a glance

Notable facts

• Founded in 1934 in Paris as Établissements Roland by Bruno Scheidt, a refugee from Nazi Germany; the name references the medieval poem/legend of the Knight Roland.
• Relocated to the US in 1939 and established as American Roland Food Corp; began importing dried mushrooms within a month of arriving, a supplier relationship the company says it maintained for 80+ years.
• Remained under family leadership (Bruno and wife Suzanne Scheidt) for decades before Vestar Capital Partners acquired a majority interest in 2013.
• Headquartered in Manhattan; markets itself as 'purveyors of fine ingredients' across retail, foodservice, and industrial channels.

Origin

Roland's story starts far from New York. Bruno Scheidt, a refugee from Nazi Germany, founded Établissements Roland in Paris in 1934, naming it after the medieval Knight Roland. Fleeing again ahead of the war, Scheidt relocated to the United States in 1939 and re-established the business as American Roland Food Corp, quickly building a specialty-importing operation that started, fittingly, with dried mushrooms.

The company stayed under Scheidt family stewardship for decades — Bruno's wife Suzanne became his business partner after their 1936 marriage — before private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in 2013. Now based in Manhattan, Roland has grown into a broad specialty-food importer serving retail, foodservice, and industrial customers, with a sardine lineup that spans olive-oil, soybean-oil, chili, and multi-size tomato-sauce cans alongside a full skinless-and-boneless range.

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