“Business as usual” at BUNN, for now

When BUNN, in business in Springfield since 1840, announced on March 11 that it had been sold to food service conglomerate Ali Group, the new owner said in its own press release that it would be “business as usual” for its latest acquisition. For BUNN’s roughly 850 Springfield employees, hearing such words was no doubt a relief.

That doesn’t mean there still isn’t some worry for BUNN workers, but for now, things seem calm at the manufacturing facility at 1400 Adlai Stevenson Drive. In the last few days, Illinois Times talked with five BUNN employees from that site, who requested anonymity, and one person’s response echoed the other four.

“As far as we’ve been told, there won’t be any disruptions ahead,” the employee said.

Ali Group is headquartered in Vernon Hills, just outside of Chicago, so another BUNN Springfield employee said with the company having a major footprint already in Illinois, “Maybe that’s good for us.”

BUNN also owns a 101,000-square-foot office building at 5020 Ash Grove Road that up until recently served as the company’s international headquarters. BUNN purchased the west-side property in 2014, not long after AT&T closed its call center there.

A memo sent to employees the day of the sale touted Ali Group as a good fit for BUNN.

“With the help of our senior management team, I feel that we have found in the Ali Group the best possible fit for BUNN, the employees, and my family,” the unsigned memo reads. “I am so very proud of the values-based culture we have built and supported over the years with stakeholders around the world, and I especially thank my BUNN teammates, from the factory floor to the furthest international markets, who have embraced our culture and made our success happen.”

Other than company press releases, though, BUNN employees haven’t heard a whole lot from the leadership.

“We have no additional comments at this time,” BUNN chief financial officer John Voss said, when asked by Illinois Times about any potential changes under Ali Group.

Ali Group’s website says it employs more than 17,000 people, has 117 brands under its control, and distributes its products to 180 countries. Started in 1963 in Milan, Italy (Ali is short for Apparecchiature Lavaggio Industriale), the company expanded into the U.S. in 1980. It has continued to broaden its global footprint in the manufacture and sales of foodservice equipment, ranging from ice machines to dishwashers to, now, a leader in the coffee and beverage dispensing business, with the acquisition of BUNN.

BUNN will be absorbed into its Welbilt brand — another top player in the foodservice equipment business that was acquired by Ali Group in 2022. Welbilt was previously a publicly traded company, but is now private under Ali Group. In contrast, BUNN has always been a private company, with Arthur “Hy” Bunn, 70, the last of five generations of Bunns to own it.

It is unknown why the Bunns finally sold, after 126 years of family control in Springfield. Phone calls and text messages to Arthur Bunn and other members of the Bunn family went unanswered. Some published estimates have put BUNN’s annual revenues in the range of $500 million, while others estimate it to be less, but the company does not have to make its financial statements public.

While the bulk of the BUNN business is now in the hands of Ali Group, several offshoots remain in the Bunn family’s control. Desiree Lodgson, a longtime BUNN employee who formerly served as senior vice president prior to the sale, said she’ll continue to be involved in the operations of Pease’s and Pease’s at BUNN Gourmet.

“The family is pleased to continue the Pease’s and Pease’s at BUNN Gourmet operations, and I will be assisting them in those endeavors,” Lodgson told Illinois Times.

Illinois Times reached out to Ali Group, and vice president of communications Ryan Blackman provided a statement:

“While BUNN’s ownership structure has changed, its priorities and strategic objectives remain unchanged, reflecting strong alignment with Ali Group and Welbilt. For our customers, there will be no changes to existing relationships with BUNN; they can expect the same support, service and engagement from our team. BUNN remains committed to serving its customers and working collaboratively with its partners, ensuring the highest quality products and best-in-class service. BUNN will work closely with Ali Group and Welbilt throughout the integration process and remains focused on advancing growth and delivering value for customers, employees and partners. In short, it remains business as usual at BUNN.”

Ryan McCrady, president and CEO of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, said he had not had a chance to meet the new owners yet. “We greatly appreciate BUNN’s contributions to this community,” he said. “We’re looking forward to working with the new owners and (seeing how we can) help them to be successful in their endeavors.”

The Ali Group owns and operates manufacturing plants for its various brands in places such as Denver and Vernon Hills in the U.S., along with other countries such as Italy, Australia, Germany, China, France, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.