Palladium Equity Partners, a private investment firm with approximately $3 billion in assets, said Thursday that one of its affiliated private equity funds has made a significant investment in Quirch Foods, Co. a distributor and exporter of protein and Hispanic food products based in the Miami.

Terms were not disclosed.

The investment will be used to expand Quirch's market reach through new product offerings, new markets and potential acquisitions in the food distribution industry, Palladium said.

Quirch utilizes multiple distribution centers across the United States to distribute beef, pork, poultry, seafood and other retail products to independent and ethnic grocers.