Patrick Cairns, CEO of Wessanen UK, described the acquisition as "a great opportunity".
Food company Wessanen – the owner of brands such as Clipper Tea, Kallø and Whole Earth – has today acquired gluten-free cake brand Mrs Crimble’s for an undisclosed sum.
A pioneer in the UK’s gluten-free market for more than 30 years, Mrs Crimble’s has established itself as a producer of free-from macarons – as well as a broad range of other gluten-free products including cakes, biscuits, snacks and treats.
Mrs Crimble’s net revenue amounted to £12.7m in 2015. It had widespread distribution across all channels in the UK and increasing presence internationally, and fits very well into Wessanen’s existing portfolio of healthy and sustainable brands.
And it is expected to benefit further from the growth of the free-from category with sales of free-from foods forecast to grow 13% to reach £531 million in 2016, up from an estimated £470 million in 2015, according to figures cited by Wessanen.
Patrick Cairns, CEO of Wessanen UK, said: “Mrs Crimble’s is one of the UK’s best known names in the gluten-free market, with a strong and loyal customer base. This acquisition gives us a great opportunity to benefit from the growing potential of the free-from category in the UK and internationally. Alongside the success of our Clipper, Kallø and Whole Earth brands, Mrs Crimble’s is another great addition to our portfolio of natural and healthy brands, which will help us drive further growth in the market.”
Bill Mapstone from Mrs Crimble’s added: “We are very proud of what we have achieved with the Mrs Crimble’s brand and believe that Wessanen are very well placed to take both the brand and the people who have developed this business on to the next level, both in the UK and internationally.”
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