Another exciting acquisition has taken place in the specialty food industry. It was announced that Wisdom Natural Brands, parent company of the SweetLeaf® brand of natural sugar substitutes, has acquired Drizzle Honey. The transaction opens the door for United States distribution of Drizzle products at a time of strong growth in the honey category.
"Honey fits perfectly into our line of natural sweeteners, and Drizzle Honey adds bonus wellness and environmental benefits by providing raw honey that retains more of its natural nutrients, line extensions with health-boosting superfoods, and sustainable beekeeping practices that are critical to maintaining pollinator populations," said Michael May, Chief Executive Officer of Wisdom Natural Brands. "It's an ideal addition to the options we offer to consumers looking for natural ways to sweeten their food."
Drizzle produces 100 percent pure, unprocessed, bee-friendly honey sourced exclusively from beekeepers who place their hives away from synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, a press release stated. Products include white raw and golden raw honeys; raw honey infused with organic superfoods such as ginger, turmeric, cacao, and berries; and craft products such as cinnamon-spiced honey and hot honey—all free of allergens, added sugar, preservatives, artificial ingredients, and GMOs.
The Drizzle line is currently distributed in 1,200 retail stores in Canada and through the company's online store. Wisdom's acquisition will extend the brand's reach to the U.S. market, where more than 11,000 Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, Publix, Amazon, and other locations carry SweetLeaf stevia, monk fruit, and other natural sweeteners.
Drizzle is a female-founded business that donates 1 percent of profits to pollinator research and protection and achieved Certified B Corporation status in 2019. It was founded by former environmental scientist and 'Queen Bee' Aja Horsley, who launched the company as an offshoot of a rooftop beekeeping project.
"We've spent the past eight years building Drizzle into a solid presence in Canada, and we knew it was time to expand to the U.S.," Horsley said. "With its decades-long commitment to natural sweeteners and established distribution of its SweetLeaf products in both natural and mainstream groceries, Wisdom is perfectly positioned to introduce our honey and its unique health and sustainability benefits to U.S. consumers as well as to continue growing our market share in Canada."
Stay tuned as we cover more industry acquisitions.
