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Vivify Specialty Ingredients has acquired California-based nutraceutical ingredient supplier AuNutra Industries as it looks to strengthen its position across the growing nutraceutical and supplement markets.
Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Founded in 2003, AuNutra supplies a portfolio of standardised botanical extracts, herb powders, vitamins, amino acids and other nutritional ingredients to the nutraceutical and supplement industries.
The acquisition will expand Vivify’s capabilities in nutraceuticals and supplements while broadening its distribution reach across North America. AuNutra is headquartered in Chino, California.
Vivify said the combined business will provide customers with a broader product portfolio, technical expertise and an expanded sales and support network.
Brian Leen, CEO of Vivify, said:“We are excited to welcome AuNutra to Vivify. This move strengthens our position in the exciting and high-growth markets of nutraceuticals and supplements. AuNutra offers a diverse range of botanical and herbal extracts as well as other speciality ingredients which are a strong complement to Vivify’s strength in natural colour. Our combined teams will support the innovation needs and speed to market that customers in this industry value.”
AuNutra's portfolio includes one of the largest collections of herbal ingredients available in North America, according to the company.
Alongside standardised botanical extracts, its ingredients are supplied to the functional food, cosmetic and personal care sectors and include herb powders, vitamins, amino acids and other nutritional ingredients.
The company also supplies Kosher-certified high-purity botanical extracts and says its ingredients are manufactured under GMP and ISO-9001:2000 quality certifications.
The acquisition is expected to combine AuNutra’s botanical ingredient capabilities with Vivify’s existing expertise in natural and synthetic colours and ingredient solutions.
Kava Liu, founder of AuNutra, said: “I am proud of what our team has built at AuNutra and am excited about what we can accomplish as part of Vivify. The combination provides additional scale, resources, and capabilities that will allow us to better serve our customers and suppliers while creating new opportunities for our employees.”
Liu will remain a significant investor in the combined business and will continue to support its growth strategy.
Vivify is a portfolio company of investment firm Gryphon Investors, which said the acquisition represents another step in its strategy to expand the company's product capabilities and presence across specialty ingredient markets.
“AuNutra is a highly complementary addition to Vivify and represents another important step in the Company’s growth,” said Tim Bradley, Deal Partner in Gryphon’s Heritage Group. “AuNutra brings differentiated expertise, excellent suppliers and strong customer relationships in the attractive nutraceuticals and supplements end markets.”
Genoa Partners LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to AuNutra in connection with the transaction.
Top image: © AuNutra
