Wind Point Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, has acquired Evans Food Group and its subsidiaries. Also based in Chicago, Evans manufactures branded and private label pork rind snacks, and has a presence in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Asia.

Wind Point is partnering with Jose Luis Prado, who will join Evans as chairman and CEO. Prado has 30 years of experience in the global snacks industry with PepsiCo, most recently serving as president of Quaker Oats North America. During his tenure at PepsiCo, Prado was president and CEO of Grupo Gamesa-Quaker in Mexico. Before leading Grupo Gamesa-Quaker, he spearheaded sales, finance and general management assignments at PepsiCo in Latin America and Europe. Prado and Wind Point will work closely with Evans’ co-founder and chairman, Alejandro Silva, who will serve on the board of directors.

“Wind Point’s partnership with Jose Luis—a top caliber global executive in the food industry—along with our proven track record and depth of experience in food investments, creates an excellent opportunity to drive continued growth at Evans,” says Mark Burgett, a managing director at Wind Point. “We are excited to work with Jose Luis and the Evans team to continue writing Evans’ and Wind Point Partners’ success stories.”

“I am delighted to join the Evans team and partner with Wind Point to take this business to the next level and create value for our customers,” says Prado. “I believe that Evans’ preferred products, advantaged manufacturing footprint, solid portfolio of national and regional brands, great team and partnership with Wind Point will enable us to pursue a wide array of domestic and international opportunities.”