TreeHouse Foods, Inc., Oak Brook, Ill., said it completed its previously announced acquisition of Flagstone Foods, the Minneapolis provider of private label healthy snacks. Flagstone Foods reported sales of approximately $697 million for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2013. TreeHouse paid Gryphon Investors and other shareholders $860 million in cash for the business, subject to an adjustment for working capital, and financed the transaction through a combination of borrowings under its existing credit facility and a $374 million equity issuance.
Flagstone Foods purchases, prepares, packages, distributes and sells more than 1,500 branded and private label varieties of snack nuts, trail mixes, dried fruit, snack mixes and other wholesome snacks to major retailers in North America.
The Flagstone Foods family of companies currently consists of Ann's House of Nuts, the largest manufacturer and marketer of trail mixes in the world, and American Importing Company (Amport Foods), the largest private label manufacturer and marketer of dried fruits.
Officials say Flagstone will continue growing its businesses through innovation, distribution and merchandising, and is also looking for acquisition opportunities. The Flagstone Foods management team is comprised of consumer packaged goods food industry executives with experience from ConAgra, General Mills, Kraft Foods, The Pillsbury Company, Michael Foods, Procter & Gamble, and Ralcorp.
TreeHouse is a food manufacturer servicing primarily the retail grocery and foodservice distribution channels. Its products include non-dairy powdered creamers and sweeteners; condensed, ready to serve and powdered soups; refrigerated and shelf stable salad dressings and sauces; powdered drink mixes; single serve hot beverages; specialty teas; hot and cold cereals; macaroni and cheese, skillet dinners, and other value-added side dishes and salads; salsa and Mexican sauces; jams and pie fillings; pickles and related products; aseptic sauces; and liquid non-dairy creamer.
TreeHouse says it is the nation’s largest manufacturer of pickles and non-dairy powdered creamer; and the largest manufacturer of private label salad dressings, powdered drink mixes, and instant hot cereals in the United States and Canada, based on sales volume.
