Smucker tastes growth with ‘nutty’ acquisition

The J.M. Smucker Company has gained entry to a new business segment with the acquisition of privately held Sahale Snacks.



Smucker said it reached an agreement with Seattle-based Sahale to acquire the supplier of nut and fruit snacks to warehouse clubs, convenience stores and grocery retailers. Sahale’s annual sales of $50 million won’t have a material impact on Smucker, whose annual sales last year were $5.6 billion, but the deal does extend Smucker’s reach into new product categories.



"This is an exciting acquisition and an excellent strategic fit for our company," said Paul Smucker Wagstaff, president of U.S. retail consumer foods at J.M. Smucker. "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 CEO, said, "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."



Sahale has been a portfolio company of a private equity fund affiliated with Palladium Equity Partners since 2007.