09.01.12
Campbell Soup Company, Camden, NJ, has acquired Bolthouse Farms from a fund managed by Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, a private equity firm, for $1.55 billion in cash. Founded in 1915, Bolthouse is a vertically integrated food and beverage company focused on developing, manufacturing and marketing proprietary, high value-added natural, healthy products. The company has leading market positions in fresh carrots and super-premium beverages in the U.S., along with a growing presence in refrigerated salad dressings.
The acquisition of Bolthouse will provide Campbell’s with significant presence and a new platform for expansion in the rapidly growing $12 billion market for packaged fresh foods. The addition of Bolthouse’s super-premium refrigerated beverages will complement Campbell’s V8 beverage business and will create one of the industry’s largest healthy beverage platforms, with annual sales of approximately $1.2 billion.
