SWITZERLAND – Nestlé Health Science, the nutritional science subsidiary of Swiss food and beverage firm, Nestlé, has agreed to acquire a majority stake in American collagen brand Vital Proteins, in a transaction whose financial details were not disclosed.
Vital Proteins was founded in 2013 by Kurt Seidensticker on the belief that whole food-based collagen nutrition is fundamental to maintaining overall health and longevity. In just 6 years, Vital Proteins has become one of the leading collagen brands in America.
The company offers lifestyle and wellness products in the supplements, vitamins food and beverage categories and has 150 SKUs across 35,000 retail doors in North America and Europe, including Whole Foods, Costco, Target Walgreens and Kroger.
The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, will be Nestlé Health Science’s first acquisition of a collagen-based wellness company to date. The nutritional company said that the move attests that consumer mindsets are shifting toward bettering one’s personal well-being.
Nestlé Health Science noted that it will operate Vital Proteins as a standalone business “remaining committed to its founding mission of helping people live healthier lives through high quality, sustainably-sourced collagen nutrition.”
The company added that by becoming a part of the Nestlé Health Science portfolio, Vital Proteins will benefit from a variety of resources to scale their reach and innovation in pursuit of global wellness.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Nestlé Health Science to enter a growing area of nutrition with a successful brand,” said Greg Behar, CEO of NHSc.
“Our companies share the belief that nothing is more important than health, and everything we do is focused on that belief. In combining our efforts to optimize health through nutrition, we can achieve even more to help our consumers live fuller, more vibrant lives.”
As part of the agreement, Vital Proteins’ founder and CEO, Seidensticker will continue to lead Vital Proteins building on his success in lifting the 7-year company into today’s leading collagen brand in America. Vital Proteins will also retain its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
“We at Vital Proteins, alongside Nestlé Health Science, are committed to expanding our wellness platform to the world,” Seidensticker said.
“We are partnering together to continue the evolution of the functional nutrition space through premium products and innovation that meet customers where they are in their wellness journey.
“Joining NHSc allows us to take Vital Proteins to the next level by leveraging resources, scale and capabilities, and moving toward a future with an expanded offering of science-backed products.”
Vital Proteins product portfolio will complement NHSc’s other vitamin, mineral, supplement and wellness brands, including Atrium Innovations, Garden of Life, Pure Encapsulations and Persona.
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