Organic to Go expands, acquires capital

SEATTLE — Organic To Go (O To Go), the first certified organic fast-casual café, announced the purchase of Vinaigrettes Full Spectrum Catering of Los Angeles.

 

Terms were not disclosed.

 

Vinaigrettes is a 10-year-old, 40-employee company with annual sales of approximately $2.5. It provides business catering services, ranging from corporate box lunches to lavish Hollywood events.

 

"Acquiring Vinaigrettes gives us catering expertise and deep-seated relationships in Los Angeles, especially in the entertainment industry," O To Go chief executive Jason Brown said.

 

According to a news release, Vinaigrettes' clients include 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, Boeing Corp., Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the William Morris Agency. Dan Karzen, Vinaigrettes' CEO, is now managing O To Go's Southern California operations.

 

Brown also announced the company closed $4.2 million of a planned $5.6 million convertible bridge financing Oct. 27. The funding round, raised from private equity investors, will enable O To Go to expand into new cities and open additional cafés in Washington and California.

 

Sales in 2006 will exceed $10 million, Brown said.

 

O To Go operates 11 cafés in Washington's Puget Sound region, and Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif. In addition, O To Go serves fresh, organic and all-natural food to such corporate clients as Starbucks and Expedia.