WESTERVILLE, OHIO — Lancaster Colony Corp., a manufacturer and seller of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels, is planning to acquire a 300,000-square-foot Atlanta-based sauce and dressing production facility from Winland Foods, Inc. for approximately $75 million. Winland Foods, which is backed by a European independent investment group called Investindustrial, is a manufacturer of private label and branded foods for retail and co-pack customers focusing on the meal preparation category.

The acquisition is an important strategic addition to Lancaster’s manufacturing network and will benefit the company’s core sauce and dressings operations through improved operational efficiency, incremental capacity and closer proximity to certain core customers, said David A. Ciesinski, chief executive officer of Lancaster Colony Corp.

“We evaluated several scenarios to support our continued growth and determined this asset purchase to be the most practical and cost-effective solution for our long-term business needs,” he said.

Winland Foods specializes in pasta, sauces, syrups, dressings, jams and jellies, pie fillings, pita chips, dry dinners, dry baking ingredients, and plant-based protein among others, according to the company.

Winland Foods has 14 facilities located in Tolleson, Ariz.; Atlanta; Buckner, Ky.; Excelsior Springs and St. Louis, Mo.; Medina, NY; North East, Pa.; Columbia, SC; San Antonio; Kenosha and Milwaukee, Wis.; Stoney Creek, Ont.; Fara Gera D’Adda, Bergamo, Italy; and Verolanuova, Brescia, Italy.

Lancaster owns such brands as Marzetti dressings and dips, Sister Schubert’s dinner rolls, and New York Bakery garlic bread.

Lancaster also has licensing agreements with several restaurant chains for a variety of products, including Olive Garden dressings, Chick-fil-A sauces and dressings, Buffalo Wild Wings sauces, Arby’s sauces, Subway sauces, and Texas Roadhouse steak sauces and dinner rolls.