The Checkout: Ardent Mills, Sauer Brands Announce New Acquisitions
Welcome to The Checkout: an express lane for the weekly news you need to know, always 10 items or less.
Sauer Brands Acquires Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa
Condiment, seasoning and spice company Sauer Brands yesterday expanded into the salsa segment with the acquisition of shelf-stable premium salsa brand Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition will strengthen the company’s position in the condiment category, with Mateo’s joining Sauer’s Condiment Business Unit, managed by Joe Tuza, president and EVP of condiments, sauces & dressings. Mateo’s, along with Sauer’s condiment brand Duke’s Mayonnaise, will “strengthen Sauer Brands’ ability to deliver inspired flavors that excite and delight,” the company said.
Founded in 1887 as The C.F. Sauer Company in Richmond, Virginia, Sauer was acquired by Falfurrias Capital Partners — who earlier this week acquired honey maker Local Hive Honey — in 2019. After rebranding to its current moniker, the company went on to acquire Chicago Custom Foods in 2020, which produces the Kernel Season’s line. Its portfolio also includes Duke’s Mayonnaise, Gold Medal and The Spice Hunter, along with several private label offerings. It operates manufacturing facilities in Virginia, South Carolina, Kansas and California.
Falfurrias partner Chip Johnson said the company had identified salsa as “the most attractive category for future expansion” in the early days of the firm’s acquisition of Sauer. With Mateo’s, Sauer found a “high-growth, iconic brand that consumers adore,” he said.
“There are many synergies across our product lines and we see significant growth potential in the salsa category, so it’s a great fit for our organization,” Sauer president and CEO Martin Kelly said.
Founded by Andrew Robbins in 2010, Frisco, Texas-based Mateo’s offers a range of gourmet salsas and Bloody Mary mixes found at retailers such as Walmart, Target, Publix, Kroger and Costco. Robbins will serve as an advisor to the brand going forward.
“Joining with a company like Sauer Brands, which has so many resources and such an impressive track record, is extremely gratifying, and I can’t wait to see what the Mateo’s brand will achieve during this next phase of its growth,” Robbins said.
Ardent Mills Acquires Firebird Artisan Mills
Flour-milling and ingredient company Ardent Mills this week announced its intention to acquire Firebird Artisan Mills, a gluten-free, specialty grain and pulse milling company previously owned by holding company Agspring. Terms of the deal, which is slated to close by the end of the year, were not disclosed.
Ardent Mills was launched in 2014 as a joint venture between ConAgra Foods, Cargill and CHS. The company was the result of a business combination between ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling, which itself was a joint venture between Cargill and CHS formed in 2002. Based in Denver, Colorado, Ardent Mills currently operates over 35 flour mills, as well as a gluten-free facility, a specialty bakery, and five chickpea and pulse processing locations. The company also has a team dedicated to cultivation of specialty grains and plant-based ingredients called The Annex.
Firebird operates a gluten-free facility in Harvey, North Dakota, where it produces over 30 gluten-free flours. The company has been a partner of Ardent Mills since its launch in 2014. The acquisition will build on Ardent Mills’s commitment to “emerging nutrition,” the company said, growing its gluten-free production capabilities and expanding the number of specialty ingredients available to its customers.
“[Firebird] also share[s] similar values, and commitment to safety and innovation, which is why this expected acquisition makes so much sense,” Ardent Mills CEO Dan Dye said.
Mark Beemer, CEO of Agspring, added that Ardent Mill’s experience and resources will “take Firebird to the next level of growth.”
“Ardent Mills has the right expertise in bringing together strong network supply chains and operating as a nimble and flexible company. Moreover, they share the same strong food safety and quality assurance values as us,” Beemer said.
Firebird is the latest in a series of acquisitions for Ardent Mills, which include Hinrich Trading Company’s operation in June 2021 and Andean Naturals’ quinoa operations in February 2020.
Jensen Meat Co. Officially Opens Plant-Based Division
Meat processor Jensen Meat Co. this week announced the opening of its first plant-based production facility in Otay Mesa, California. The company first announced in January that it had broken ground on the facility, which already has begun producing meat alternatives.
The plant has the capability to produce 25 million pounds of plant-based meat annually, according to the company, with services including blending, cooking, emulsifying, dry mixing, hydrating and bulk and patty forming for products in foodservice and retail.
With the plant-based division, the company hopes to advance its sustainability initiatives through strategic partnerships while driving down costs for smaller companies, CEO Abel Olivera said in a press release, believing there is “room for both industries – traditional and plant-based – to thrive in a sustainable manner.”
“We want to use our knowledge of burger production to help plant-based companies achieve the best looking, tastiest patty, and now, we are opening our first plant-based production facility,” Olivera said. “We set our sights on a new industry, and we knew that our expertise could increase national production of plant-based products. Ultimately, we will create more food for a growing population through cost-effective, innovative initiatives.”
Founded in 1958, Jensen Meat produces products for Great Value, Kroger and Sam’s Choice private labels. The company acquired plant-based meat brand Before the Butcher in 2019, giving the brand financial and production resources to scale and ultimately lower prices.
Other meat producers who have extended into alternative proteins include Maple Leaf, which acquired vegan meat and cheese brand Field Roast and plant-based meat maker Lightlife in 2017. Last year, meat manufacturer JBS entered the plant-based segment with Planterra Foods, which produces plant-based proteins under the Ozo brand.
