All Brands Owned by Kohlberg & Company

Who owns Kohlberg & Company?
Kohlberg & Company is a privately held partnership. The firm was founded by Jerome Kohlberg Jr. and his son James Kohlberg in 1987. James A. Kohlberg currently serves as Chairman. In March 2018, Blackstone acquired a minority equity interest in the firm, but Kohlberg remains independently managed. The firm's ownership structure is not publicly detailed, and specific equity percentages among partners have not been disclosed.

Does Kohlberg & Company own Sara Lee?
Kohlberg & Company owns Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, which it acquired from Tyson Foods in June 2018 in partnership with Entrepreneurial Equity Partners. The acquisition included the Sara Lee, Van's, Chef Pierre, and Bistro Collection brands for frozen bakery products. Grupo Bimbo's subsidiary, Bimbo Bakeries USA, owns the Sara Lee brand rights for fresh bakery products, having acquired Sara Lee Corporation's North American Fresh Bakery business in 2010 for $959 million. The Sara Lee brand is therefore split between two owners.

How much money does Kohlberg & Company manage?
Kohlberg & Company manages approximately $17 billion in assets as of December 31, 2025, according to the firm's own disclosures. The firm reports $17.1 billion in regulatory assets under management to the SEC across 37 private funds. Kohlberg has organized 11 private equity vehicles totaling over $14 billion in committed equity capital since its founding in 1987.

What is Kohlberg & Company's largest fund?
Kohlberg's largest fund is Kohlberg Investors X, which closed in September 2024 with $4.3 billion in commitments. The firm also raised approximately $1 billion in dedicated co-investment vehicles alongside Fund X. Over 125 limited partners participated, including public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, and family offices from the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The previous fund, Kohlberg Investors IX, closed in February 2021 with $3.4 billion.

What companies does Kohlberg & Company own?
Kohlberg's current portfolio includes 29 companies across healthcare, infrastructure services, business services, and food sectors. Notable current holdings include Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, CLEAResult (energy efficiency services), PCI Pharma Services (pharmaceutical manufacturing), Parts Authority (automotive parts), Engage PEO (HR services), OB Hospitalist Group, Nelipak (medical packaging), and Riveron (financial advisory). The firm has completed 95 platform investments and over 290 add-on acquisitions since 1987.

How is Kohlberg & Company related to KKR?
Kohlberg & Company was founded by Jerome Kohlberg Jr., who also co-founded KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) with Henry Kravis and George Roberts in 1976. Kohlberg Jr. left KKR in 1987 over disagreements about strategy, specifically opposing the large, highly leveraged transactions and hostile takeovers that KKR was pursuing. He formed Kohlberg & Company with his son James to focus on smaller middle-market transactions using moderate leverage. The two firms are separate entities with no ownership relationship.

What was Kohlberg's biggest exit?
Kohlberg's largest reported exit was the January 2026 sale of ENTRUST Solutions Group to Leidos (NYSE: LDOS) for approximately $2.4 billion. Kohlberg had acquired ENTRUST, a utility engineering services company, in 2019 and completed a minority recapitalization in 2023 before the full sale. The deal was expected to close in the second quarter of 2026. Other notable exits include the sale of Van's Foods to Cal-Maine Foods in May 2026 and the sale of DecoPac to Sentinel Capital Partners in July 2026.

Is Kohlberg & Company a public company?
No. Kohlberg & Company is a privately held partnership. It is not listed on any stock exchange and does not have publicly traded shares. The firm is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, which requires regulatory filings and disclosures to limited partners, but does not involve public market reporting obligations. Blackstone acquired a minority equity interest in the firm in 2018, but this did not change the firm's private status.