General Mills Acquires Humm Foods, makers of LÄRABAR®
06/10/2008
General Mills announced today its agreement to purchase Denver-based Humm Foods, makers of LÄRABAR® and LÄRABAR JOCALAT™. The brands will become part of Small Planet Foods, the natural and organic products group of General Mills, and a category leader with its Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen brands. The agreement will close tomorrow, June 11.
“We are excited about this announcement,” said Michele Meyer, president of Small Planet Foods. “LÄRABAR is an exceptional brand that is experiencing rapid growth because of the quality and uniqueness of LÄRABAR products. We are especially pleased that Lara Merriken, the founder of LÄRABAR, will continue with the business. Lara is clearly the brand champion of LÄRABAR, and we are thrilled to have her join us as we grow the business together.”
Humm Foods was founded in 2003 by Merriken, whose idea for her namesake LÄRABAR came to her while she was hiking in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Her vision was to create a business centered on delivering an all-natural nutrition bar made of fruit and nuts, with unique flavors and few ingredients. The business has grown dramatically under her leadership to a category-leading position in the single-serve natural health bar segment.
“I’m pleased to see LÄRABAR joining strong and successful brands like Muir Glen and Cascadian Farm,” said Merriken. “I see this move as important to the future, and I’m excited to work with Small Planet Foods to continue to grow the LÄRABAR business.”
Humm Foods’ brands compete in the single item, natural and organic category at natural, conventional and specialty grocers across the United States and abroad. LÄRABAR makes 14 LÄRABAR brand flavors, which contain fruit, nuts and spices, and six JOCALAT brand flavors, which contain chocolate, fruit and nuts.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About Small Planet Foods
Small Planet Foods is the natural and organic products group within General Mills. With its Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen brands, Small Planet Foods holds the No.1 or No. 2 position in 14 major organic categories in the United States.
About General Mills
General Mills is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer food products based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. General Mills' mission is Nourishing Lives - innovating to make lives healthier, easier and richer. Its global brand portfolio includes Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Old El Paso, Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and more. General Mills is also a leading supplier of baking and other products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries. With more than 100 consumer brands and operations in more than 100 countries, General Mills had annual net sales of $12.4 billion in fiscal 2007.
For More Information, Contact:
Heidi Geller
General Mills
On June 10th, call 303-228-1115
After June 10th, call 763-764-6364
