SWITZERLAND – Swiss international consumer food manufacturer, the Hero Group has acquired Baby Gourmet, a Canadian organic meal and snack brand for babies and toddlers, for a undisclosed sum.
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Baby Gourmet offers a range of meals and snacks, including cereals and purée pouches.
In 2014, the company launched organic children’s snack brand, Slammers Snacks nationally in the US. Slammers Snacks will now be part of Baby Gourmet.
Following the acquisition, Baby Gourmet and the Hero Group – which also owns US baby food brand Beech-Nut – plan to work together to expand Baby Gourmet’s footprint in North America.
“After 15 years of building Canada’s leading organic baby food brand, Jill and I are thrilled to launch our next phase of growth with Hero,” said Baby Gourmet CEO and co-founder Jennifer Carlson.
Jennifer Carlson -along with her sister Jill Vos – will remain an officer and shareholder of the company.
“With our shared values, Hero is the perfect home for Baby Gourmet; a place where we can continue to develop our beloved, mission-driven brand,” Carlson added.
The acquisition of Baby Gourmet happens at a time when the US baby foods market is expanding, riding on increased demand for “quality over quantity” by millenial parents.
Due to this demand, the U.S. baby food market size which was valued at US$12.9 billion in 2018 is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% from 2021 to reach US$17.2 billion by 2026, according to a report published by reportlinker.com.
Rob Versloot, CEO of the Hero Group, said: “We are extremely pleased to have positively concluded the acquisition of Baby Gourmet and to have found a strategic partnership model with the founders to continue their entrepreneurial success story.”
“The baby food market is our largest category, where we are keen on further increasing our footprint,” Versloot added.
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