Connecticut based Harvest Hill Beverage Company has acquired the beverage business of Minneapolis based Faribault Foods for undisclosed sum.
As part of the deal, Harvest Hill has acquired the beverage manufacturing assets of Faribault Foods that includes an SQF Level III-certified manufacturing plant in Elk River in Minneapolis.
The Elk River plant, which broke ground in 2001, is a private label supplier and contract manufacturer of pouch products to various beverage brands including Juicy Juice, Sunny Delight and Back to Nature.
The acquisition is said to enhance Harvest Hill’s manufacturing flexibility by adding geographic diversity to its current production capacity.
Harvest Hill is the owner of the Juicy Juice brand, and is a majority-owned portfolio company of Connecticut private equity firm Brynwood Partners.
Brynwood Partners chairman and CEO and also Harvest Hill chairman Henk Hartong said: “The addition of Faribault's beverage assets to Harvest Hill's existing pouch manufacturing capabilities will enable Harvest Hill to continue to expand on its growing product line in the pouch format."
Harvest Hill CEO Doug Gillespie said that Faribault Foods’ employees in the Elk River plant will be brought under the Harvest Hill fold following the deal.
Gillespie added that the acquisition would strengthen Harvest Hill’s position as one of the largest independent beverage pouch manufacturer in the US.
Harvest Hill Beverage Company was formed by Brynwood Partners to acquire the Juicy Juice brand in 2014 from Nestle USA.Apart from Juicy Juice, Harvest Hill had also acquired the Hug juice brand and Daily's Cocktails brand from the Michigan based American Beverage Corporation last year.