Sahale Snacks is a privately held company with an estimated $50 million in annual sales from warehouse clubs, convenience stores and supermarkets.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The J.M. Smucker Co. on Wednesday announced a definitive agreement to add Sahale Snacks Inc. brand nut and fruit mixes of Seattle to its pantry of well-known food brands, including Folgers Coffee, Jif Peanut Butter, and Smucker's fruit spreads. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Sahale (pronounced sah-HA-lee) Snacks is a privately held company with an estimated $50 million in annual sales from warehouse clubs, convenience stores and supermarkets. It has been a portfolio company of a private equity fund affiliated with Palladium Equity Partners LLC of New York since 2007.
Founded in 2003, Sahale uses "wholesome ingredients such as roasted nuts, dried fruits, inspired spice blends, and natural sweeteners, including organic sugar and organic honey," with no preservatives, trans fats or artificial ingredients, according to its website. The snack blends are also certified gluten-free and kosher.
"What makes Sahale Snacks unique is that each blend includes a dash of culinary magic that delivers truly memorable flavors. Sahale Snacks offers five product lines - Nut Blends, Glazed Nuts, Sahale Crunchers, Premium Blends and Grab & Go Snacks."
The acquisition comes with a leased production facility in Seattle and about 150 employees.
The transaction is expected to close by mid-September, but Smucker said it should not have a material impact on the company's fiscal 2015 financial results.
Clik here to view.
View full sizeSahale Snacks Inc. are now part of Ohio's J.M. Smucker family of popular food brands. "This is an exciting acquisition and an excellent strategic fit for our company," Paul Smucker Wagstaff, president of Smucker's U.S. Retail Consumer Foods and a fifth-generation of the Smucker family, said in a written statement. "The addition of the Sahale Snacks premium lifestyle brand, and its portfolio of innovative and on-trend products, provides an established platform for growth in the snacking space."
Eric Eddings, Sahale's chief executive, said in the same statement, "Sahale Snacks' co-founders, Josh Schroeter and Edmond Sanctis, and I are proud to join the Smucker family, and we look forward to the continued growth of the Sahale Snacks brand as we maintain our focus on our mission of bringing 'Beyond Ordinary' snacking to consumers' daily lives."
Maribeth Burns, Smucker's vice president of corporate communications, said via email that "We look forward to continuing to grow the Sahale Snacks brand. The unique ingredient combinations and adventurous flavor profiles offered by Sahale
create opportunities to reach new consumers in the on-trend snacking
category, while also adding more gluten-free and non-GMO choices to our
product portfolio."
She said that although Smucker has some snack offerings such as Jif To Go, Uncrustables frozen sandwiches, and Smucker's Fruit-Fulls, that Sahale will be the company's first brand in the rapidly growing snack nuts and trail mix category.
"We are confident that our fruit and nut expertise and proven ability to
leverage our existing infrastructure, scale and reach - along with our
established track record in growing brands - will provide additional growth
opportunities for the Sahale brand," she said.
