Wellful – an omnichannel health and wellness platform and a Kainos Capital portfolio company – announced the acquisition of Ancient Nutrition from VMG Partners, Hillhouse Investment, and other unit holders.
Wellful combines advanced e-commerce technology with scientifically formulated solutions for helping consumers live healthier lives across its portfolio of vitamin, supplement, and food brands. And the acquisition of Ancient Nutrition will further strengthen Wellful’s omnichannel presence in several vitamin, mineral, and supplement (VMS) categories and expand its distribution footprint into the natural retail channel.
Ancient Nutrition was built on making history’s most powerful superfoods accessible to everyone through the development of high-quality supplements and a commitment to transforming how food is grown. And Ancient Nutrition’s core product categories include protein, gut health, and greens. Since its founding, Ancient Nutrition has sustained substantial growth and is the fastest-growing VMS brand and the largest collagen brand within the natural channel. Colt Morton, CEO of Ancient Nutrition, will continue leading the business as part of Wellful.
Piper Sandler served as financial advisor and Greenberg Traurig served as legal counsel to Ancient Nutrition. And Winston & Strawn served as legal counsel to Wellful.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are thrilled to bring Ancient Nutrition onto the Wellful platform. The Ancient Nutrition team has done a phenomenal job of building a scaled brand with considerable future growth potential. Ancient Nutrition fundamentally stands for something within the industry and delivers real results to its customers. We’re very excited to further strengthen the brand and to expand the product portfolio that customers have come to know and trust.”
“Demand continues to grow for efficacious science-backed solutions to help consumers manage their lives. Ancient Nutrition is the perfect addition to our already robust portfolio of brands and further cements our commitment to and belief in the VMS industry. Our investments in our brands and vertical integration allow us to continually innovate to improve the lives of our customers.”
– Brandon Adcock, CEO of Wellful
“I am proud of how far Ancient Nutrition has come in our mission to Save the World with Super Foods and look forward to seeing our innovative products become a staple in every North American household and beyond. I’ve appreciated the partnership with VMG and Hillhouse Investment in helping us build one of the leading brands in the natural products industry.”
– Jordan Rubin, co-founder of Ancient Nutrition
“I’ve dedicated my life to educating others on how to achieve their health objectives and Ancient Nutrition has been an incredible platform to help bring this dream into reality. VMG and Hillhouse Investment brought instrumental resources in helping us achieve our goals.”
– Dr. Josh Axe, co-founder of Ancient Nutrition
“I couldn’t be prouder of what our team has achieved and the momentum we continue to experience as the fastest-growing VMS brand in the natural channel. Partnering with Wellful marks an exciting new chapter in our journey. Wellful’s resources and our shared vision for innovation position Ancient Nutrition to bring our mission to even more people while staying true to the values and culture that have brought us here.”
– Colt Morton
“The acquisition of Ancient Nutrition establishes Wellful as the largest independent VMS platform in North America. We are excited to welcome the Ancient Nutrition team to the Wellful family and to support their mission of Saving the World with Super Foods. Wellful continues to have ample dry powder to invest in the continued growth of its brand portfolio, including R&D, marketing, or future acquisitions.”
– David Gassko, Partner at Kainos
