NEW YORK -- Private-equity firm Palladium Equity Partners LLC has made a follow-on investment in Sahale Snacks, a Seattle-based producer of premium all-natural snacks. Terms were not disclosed. Palladium has held a significant minority stake in Sahale Snacks since 2007.
Sahale Snacks offers mixes of premium nuts and dried fruits tossed with spices in a portable snack pack. The company uses whole ingredients, such as cashews, almonds and pecans, then combines them with naturally dried and preservative-free fruits and finish with a touch of flavors using spices such as orange blossom honey, lemongrass or pure ground Madagascar vanilla bean.
"We are excited to extend our commitment to Sahale Snacks, and look forward to partnering with the management team on several promising growth initiatives for 2012 and beyond," said Yue Guan, vice president of New York City-based Palladium. "Sahale's highly differentiated offerings place it in a strong position to capture significant opportunities in the fast-growing $3.6 billion market for snack nuts and seeds. The company has more than doubled in size since our initial investment, and we expect substantially more growth as Sahale adds new products, increases distribution and further penetrates existing sales channels."
In an effort to make Sahale Snacks more accessible to a broader base of consumers, the company achieved Certified Gluten Free status in 2011. This allows those with gluten intolerance and Celiac disease to enjoy the product with confidence. Recently the products and plant were also certified by KOF-K, whose emblem is the internationally recognized trademark of KOF-K Kosher Supervision, one of the foremost kosher certification agencies in the United States.
Sahale Snacks launched its first products in January 2004 at a small grocery store in Seattle. Sahale's products can now be found in more than 20,000 locations nationwide across multiple channels including Walmart, Starbucks, Costco, Kroger, Safeway, Whole Foods, REI and a wide range of hotels, health clubs and specialty retailers.
"We are pleased with the continued support from our partners at Palladium," said Eric Eddings, president and CEO of Sahale Snacks. "With our recent and continued investment in talent, innovation and execution, we are accelerating our internal and external go-to-market initiatives. This new round of investment will allow us to increase our current facility and processing capabilities, as well as capitalize on our consumer insights accelerating our investments in building the awareness and velocity of the Sahale Snacks brand."
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