| Our food and beverage industry team combines legal sophistication and strong relationships with regulators and allied service providers to provide a cross-practice spectrum of services to support all of your company’s needs.
We support clients on daily operations, market channel decisions, transactions with suppliers and customers, marketing and manufacturing agreements, trademarks and other intellectual property, trade secrets, finance, franchising and distribution, and tax, including disputes with the USDA, FDA, and the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. We help clients comply with licensing, permitting, labeling, record-keeping, international trade issues, food and beverage safety and product recalls.
Our clients include food and beverage producers and distributors, packaged food companies, restaurants, franchisors, licensors, retailers, wineries, breweries and distilleries, importers, and wholesalers. We also represent numerous industry associations, which helps keep us on top of emerging legislative and business issues.
As part of a full-service firm, our team can draw upon colleagues with specialized knowledge where clients have periodic needs, including real estate, land use, construction, environmental issues, product liability, Internet and e-commerce issues, litigation, securities, strategic investments, and mergers and acquisitions.
Representative clients include:
Darigold
Mendocino Farms
Starbucks
American Seafoods
National Frozen Foods
New Seasons Market
Dave’s Killer Bread
Mike’s Hard Lemonade
Rogue Brewery
Pacific Rim Winemakers |
Tyson Foods
Seattle Gourmet Foods
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
Maletis Beverage
Westward Seafoods
Bridgetown Natural Foods
Red Bull
California Pizza Kitchen
Erath Winery
Justin Vineyards & Winery |
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Selected Experience Circuit Court has enjoined the Oregon Liquor Control Commission from interfering with the warehousing and distribution practices of a large grocery chain. (Ongoing) Multiple acquisitions of specialty foods businesses, including Dilettante Chocolates, Myntz! breath mints, Innovative Cookies, Merlino Baking Co., and Oral Fixation breath mints. (Ongoing) Provided a distribution plan and advice on distribution agreements for UK food wholesaler entering the U.S. market. (Ongoing) Representation of a national grocery cooperative in information technology procurement for its operations and the operations of its members. (Ongoing) Sale of subsidiaries, Snack Alliance and Nalley's Canada Limited, in an auction process to a private equity-backed leading producer and distributor of private label seasoned snack foods. (2010) Pursued claims of breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract against former CEO of fast food chain, and defending against CEO's cross-claims. (2009) Represent issuer in private equity transaction. (2009) Negotiation of several long term supply agreements of commercial soup products to major restaurant chains, including cost-plus and fixed price agreements. Negotiation of supply chain contracts and assistance with resolution of related contaminated ingredient matters. (2009) Represented borrower in $29 million credit facility. (2008) Represented defendant in theft of trade secrets matter. Case settled favorably. (D. Or. 2008) 14,000 square foot lease of New Seasons Market's Hawthorne Street store. (2008) Sale of 95-year-old family-owned Washington agricultural foods processor to a private equity group, Endeavour Capital. (2008) Successfully represented a large food company in an appeal of a WISHA safety and health citation alleging failure to provide employees with appropriate personal protective equipment. After an administrative hearing, the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals vacated the bulk of the citation against the company, and the courts upheld the board's ruling on appeal. __ Wn. App. __, 178 P.3 1070 (Wash. App. 2008) Successfully guided Save Mart Supermarkets, a major supermarket chain, through a FTC merger investigation that doubled its size. (2007) Represented defendant in trade dress dispute over appearance of potato chip bag, and defeated motion for preliminary injunction. Case subsequently settled. (N.D. Ga. 2007) Sale of wholesale grocery business to Unified Western Grocers, Inc. (2007) Sale of Washington-based food products processor to Sargento, a Wisconsin-based cheese products manufacturer. (2007) Auction sale and leaseback of 52-acre corporate office and warehouse facility campus in Seattle. (2007) | | Search Experience | | | |  |
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