J.M. Smucker Selling Natural Balance Business

The divestiture reflects the company’s strategy to focus on the core brands within Smucker’s pet food and pet snacks portfolio, such as Rachael Ray Nutrish, Milk-Bone, and Meow Mix.

Dec 4th, 2020

The J.M. Smucker Co. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Natural Balancepremium pet food business to Nexus Capital Management LP for approximately $50 million. Expected to close in the third quarter of the 2021 fiscal year, the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

The JM Smucker Co.

Constellation Brands Names Jim Sabia as President, Beer Division

In his new position, Sabia with assume the day-to-day general management responsibilities for all U.S. commercial and operations functions related to the company’s beer business.

Royal Canin Expanding South Dakota Facility

The brand is investing $185 million to create new production lines at its facility in North Sioux City, S.D., to meet growing petfood demand.

NASA Offering $1 Million for Innovative Systems to Feed Tomorrow’s Astronauts

Giving future explorers the technology to produce nutritious, tasty, and satisfying meals on long-duration space missions will give them the energy required to uncover the great unknown.

Mars to Acquire Petfood Brand Nom Nom

The price tag for the science-forward technology, direct-to-consumer petfood brand, which will be an autonomous brand within the Royal Canin division, is reportedly $1 billion.

Mondelēz International Acquires Chipita Global

The addition of the high-growth European leader in croissants and baked snacks will assist Mondelēz in accelerating growth in core snacking adjacencies and enable innovation across the company’s brands.

Top 5 food packaging fails

Top 5 food packaging fails

Fix your food packaging fails to protect your customers and brand’s reputation.

Monster Beverage Acquiring CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective

The $330 million deal will provide Monster Beverage with all the CANarchy craft beer and hard seltzer brands as an entrée into the lucrative alcoholic beverage sector.

Simmons Facility

Simmons Foods Planning $100 Million Expansion of Arkansas Plant

The project will add 65,000 sq ft to the plant to allow for two new automated production and packaging lines, and increase annual production capacity by approximately 100 million lb.

Farbest Facility

Farbest Foods Expanding Indiana Plant

The $12.8 million, 22,000-sq-ft project will streamline deboning, while improving output and practices at the turkey processing facility.

Mondelez Canada President Karla Schlieper

Mondelēz International Names Karla Schlieper to Lead Canada Business

Schlieper will assume the role of president of Mondelēz Canada on January 17, succeeding current president Martin Parent, who will be leaving the organization earlier in the month.

Greenleaf Foods Adam Grogan

Maple Leaf Foods Names Adam Grogan President of Wholly Owned Subsidiary

The industry veteran is set to assume the top position at plant-based protein subsidiary Greenleaf Foods, following the retirement of current president Dan Curtin.

Top 5 food packaging fails

Top 5 food packaging fails

Fix your food packaging fails to protect your customers and brand’s reputation.

Fairlife Ariz Facility

New fairlife Facility in Arizona Now Open

The production and distribution facility boasts advanced manufacturing technologies and equipment to enable continued growth, and support increased demand for fairlife products.

What Do You Think Sustainability in Food Packaging Will Look Like in 2040?

Smithers are undertaking a new study to map the long-term future landscape of sustainable food packaging.

Kraft Heinz Combining U.S. and Canada Businesses

The new North America Zone will bring increased agility to the company’s innovation agenda, operations, and go-to-market approach to advance its long-term, sustainable growth plans.

Kerry Foods Oliver Kelly

Kerry Appoints Oliver Kelly as President and CEO in North America

Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Gerry Behan will continue in a broader capacity as president and CEO for Kerry Taste and Nutrition.

Processors Plan Major Expansion and Greenfield Projects, Plus a Cannabis Market Update

Mondelēz International, Cattlemen’s Heritage, and American Peanut Growers Group are expanding operations next year. Also on today's video: Dosage control, speed of onset, and flavors are essential for product in this growing cannabis drinks sector.

Hershey Completes Acquisition of Dot’s Pretzels and Pretzels Inc.

The addition of Dot’s Pretzels adds to Hershey’s portfolio the fastest-growing scale U.S. pretzel brand, representing 55% of the pretzel category’s growth during the past year.

JBS Buying King’s Group and Its Premium Italian Charcuterie Brands

JBS subsidiary Rigamonti will acquire the historic brands King’s and Principe, and the group’s entire operation in the U.S., as well as four production facilities in Italy.

Crb Steve Morton

CRB Names Steve Morton as a Project Director for Food and Beverage Clients

The arrival of the experienced advocate for integrated project delivery will enhance the company’s successful ONEsolution approach.

More in Industry News

Yili Indonesia Dairy Production Base

Yili Group Opens Ice Cream Production Base in Indonesia

Yili’s first self-built plant in Southeast Asia forms a “dual center” in Indonesia and Thailand, and aims to accelerate dairy manufacturing and innovation to better serve its consumers in the region.

Cattlemen’s Heritage to Build Beef Processing Facility in Iowa

ESI Group has been selected to design and construct the 500,000-sq-ft greenfield facility, which is expected break ground in spring of next year and to be up and running in December 2023.

Scoular Petsource Plant

Petsource by Scoular Expanding Nebraska Facility

The Seward, Neb., project will triple the site’s capacity, allowing it to meet the rapidly increasing customer demand for high-protein, nutrient-dense, and raw nutrition petfood options.

Volkmann Richard Gaffney

Volkmann USA Appoints Rick Gaffney as Sales Engineer

Gaffney is joining the process equipment manufacturer to help the company meet growing conveying systems demand.

Blackline Cold Storage

Blackline Cold Storage Opening New Facility in Texas

The facility will incorporate ﬂexibility for multiple segregated temperature zones and both truck and rail connectivity to serve a broad range of cold storage customer requirements.

Buitoni President And Ceo Graham Corneck

Buitoni Foods Appoints Graham R. Corneck as President and CEO

Corneck will be replacing Peter Wilson, who will rejoin Brynwood Partners as managing director and chairman of Buitoni Foods.

Smucker Divests Private Label Dry Pet Food Business

The company has sold the business segment to Diamond Pet Foods as a part of its continued portfolio optimization focusing on other areas of its petfood and pet snacks business.

Lactalis, Kraft

Lactalis Canada Adding Kraft Heinz Grated Cheese Business to Portfolio

The transaction reinforces the company’s long-term investment in the food processing sector and marks its foray into the grated cheese business category, a first for the dairy leader.

Pabst Brewing Names Paul Chibe as New CEO

The former Ferrero Group senior executive succeeds Eugene Kashper, who will remain Pabst’s chairman of the board of directors and continue to play an active role in the business.

Michael Small Named Director of Operations for Triangle Package

He will oversee Triangle’s production, manufacturing, and assembly departments and use his 30 years of expertise to improve overall manufacturing and production efficiencies while expanding capacity within its existing manufacturing facility.

American Peanut

American Peanut Growers Group Expanding Operations in Georgia

The project will help the group increase the manufacture of peanut paste, granules, peanut butter, and roasted peanuts to meet rising peanut consumption, which is at an all-time high.

Solaris Porto Mantovano, Italy Location

Donaldson Company Acquires Solaris Biotechnology

The acquisition will position Donaldson to provide more comprehensive solutions to food and beverage customers and expand its access to biopharma and other key life sciences markets.