Consumer goods company Unilever recently announced that it acquired the holding company of graze, which is a UK-based healthy snacking brand. graze launched in 2008 with a goal of putting “excitement into healthy snacking.” The terms of the deal were undisclosed.
graze offers a range of snacks such as snacking nuts, trail mixes, seeds, and snack bars without artificial ingredients. The company started out as a snack box delivery service and then evolved into a multichannel brand with products in retail stores, e-commerce, and direct-to-consumer.
“This deal marks a transformational moment in graze’s growth journey. graze believes that learning from Unilever’s sustainable living plan will become a key driver for the business,” said graze CEO Anthony Fletcher in a statement. “graze has an incredibly exciting future ahead as part of Unilever and we look forward to working closely with the team to keep on inventing new healthy snacks, as well as continuing to work to understand the role technology can play in improving the food industry.”
graze used to be owned by global investment company Carlyle. Under Carlyle, the company saw a rapid growth of its delivery service and expansion in retail stores across the U.S. and the U.K. Retailers like Target, Costco, Boots, and Sainsbury’s were selling graze’s products on its shelves. And now graze is the number one healthy snacking brand in the U.K.
“graze is the leading healthy snacking brand in the UK – delivering consumers fabulously tasty snacking options, delivered in beautiful packaging. A truly multichannel brand, graze offers personalization, convenience, and great nutrition, brilliantly meeting the needs of millennial consumers,” added Nitin Paranjpe, the president of Unilever’s Food & Refreshment business. “Accelerating our presence in healthy foods and out of home this is an excellent strategic fit for the Unilever Food & Refreshment business and a wonderful addition to our stable of purpose-driven brands. We look forward to working with the graze team to grow the business, leveraging their tech and e-commerce expertise for our wider portfolio, and offering more consumers the opportunity to snack in a healthier way.”
