Unilever acquisition of graze : Consumer goods manufacturer Unilever has acquired UK healthy snack brand graze from global investment company The Carlyle Group for an undisclosed price, as per the latest food acquisition news.

graze, which was launched in 2008, provides a variety of snacking nuts, trail mixes, seeds and snack bars without any artificial ingredients. Initially, graze had offered subscription-only service selling snack boxes, and currently is a multichannel healthy snack brand with its products found across retail stores, online channels and direct to customer.

It was acquired by Carlyle in November 2012 through one of its funds, called Carlyle Europe Technology Partners II (CETP II).  Carlyle claims that under its ownership, graze recorded strong growth in its delivery service, and also expanded into retail stores in the UK and US, with products being sold in Sainsbury’s, Costco, Boots and Target.

Anthony Fletcher – CEO of graze CEO, commenting on Unilever acquisition of graze, said: “This deal marks a transformational moment in graze’s growth journey. graze believes that learning from Unilever’s sustainable living plan will become a key driver for the business.

“graze has an incredibly exciting future ahead as part of Unilever and we look forward to working closely with the team to keep on inventing new healthy snacks, as well as continuing to work to understand the role technology can play in improving the food industry.”

Unilever acquisition of graze fast tracks the consumer goods manufacturer’s presence in the healthy snacks segment and out of home markets.

Nitin Paranjpe – President of Unilever’s Food & Refreshment business, commenting on Unilever acquisition of graze, said: “graze is the leading healthy snacking brand in the UK – delivering consumers fabulously tasty snacking options, delivered in beautiful packaging. A truly multichannel brand, graze offers personalization, convenience, and great nutrition, brilliantly meeting the needs of millennial consumers.

“Accelerating our presence in healthy foods and out of home this is an excellent strategic fit for the Unilever Food & Refreshment business and a wonderful addition to our stable of purpose-driven brands. We look forward to working with the graze team to grow the business, leveraging their tech and e-commerce expertise for our wider portfolio, and offering more consumers the opportunity to snack in a healthier way.”

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  Anthony Fletcher, Food acquisition news, graze, Nitin Paranjpe, The Carlyle Group, Unilever