Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1090132
SPRING 2019 67 NEW YORK SUPERMARKET CHAIN BOUGHT BY STOP & SHOP Stop & Shop will acquire King Kullen, a New York-based supermarket chain. The deal, which includes 32 supermarkets and five Wild by Nature natural food stores on Long Island, will help Stop & Shop lower prices and increase its procurement power. The goal is to help the chain compete against retail giants like Lidl and Amazon. King Kullen, which opened its first store in 1930, was the last major family-owned supermarket chain on Long Island. Arielle Feger is the content associate for Specialty Food Magazine. MASSACHUSETTS- BASED RETAILER NEW OWNER OF SKY BAR Louise Mawhinney, owner of Duck Soup, is the new owner of Sky Bar, a candy brand that was owned by New England Confectionery Company. Most of Necco's assets were split up and sold when it went out of business in 2018, but Sky Bar was one of the last to be auctioned off. Sky Bar was developed in 1938 and is a milk- chocolate bar with four distinct candy centers of caramel, vanilla, peanut, and fudge. Duck Soup is a Massachusetts-based gourmet retailer and is working with the former Necco VP of research and development to start small-batch production on the candy bar. Peet's Coffee Expands Portfolio with Kombucha Maker Peet's Coffee has acquired a majority stake in Revive Kombucha, a craft brewery based in Petaluma, Calif., that offers beverages that are naturally fermented, organic, non-GMO, Fair Trade certified, and ethically sourced. With financing from Peet's, Revive will be able to scale the brand, grow brewery operations, and broaden its distribution. With this acquisition, Peet's Coffee hopes to expand its beverage offerings across channels in new and convenient locations. UNILEVER ACQUIRES PLANT- BASED PRODUCER Unilever has acquired The Vegetarian Butcher, a maker of plant-based products in The Netherlands. In 2016, Unilever and The Vegetarian Butcher jointly launched vegetarian meatballs under the Unox brand, and now this acquisition helps Unilever to grow its portfolio with more plant- based items. The Vegetarian Butcher sells its products at over 4,000 outlets in 17 countries. American Pasteurization Co. Acquires Milwaukee-based Co-Manufacturer American Pasteurization Co. has acquired FreshCo Foods, a co- manufacturer of premium and specialty food products. APC offers its clients high pressure processing, as well as assembly services and a direct-to-con- sumer shipping program. It also produces a variety of products including hummus, soups, and salad dressing, as well as co- packing products like fresh and cooked pasta dishes, fresh dips, and avocado-based products. H.I.G. Capital Acquires Lipari Foods Lipari Foods has been acquired by global private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, which is partnering with current management to grow the company's distribution and manufacturing platform, through both organic and acquisition- driven growth. Lipari, which generates about $1 billion in net sales annually, is a distributor of perimeter-of-the- store specialty, and branded food products. PHOTO: BOSTON GLOBE/CONTRIBUTOR VIA GETTY IMAGES article bug 67 SPRING 2019 specialty food maker