Saco Foods acquires Ancient Harvest, Pamela's

Pamela's is a manufacturer of gluten-free baking mixes and baked goods.

courtesy of Pamela's

Saco Foods, a portfolio company of Fengate Private Equity and Weathervane Investment Corp., announced today that it acquired Quinoa Corporation and its brands from Encore Consumer Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Quinoa Corporation was advised on the transaction by Green Circle Capital Advisors.

Founded in 1983, Ancient Harvest pioneered the sale of quinoa in the U.S. and continues to be a brand of value-added, plant-based products including gluten-free pasta, polenta, and the #1 brand of quinoa. Founded in 1988 and acquired by Quinoa Corporation in 2019, Pamela's is a manufacturer of gluten-free baking mixes and baked goods including pancake mixes, snack bars, and flours, as well as gluten-free graham crackers and fruit-filled cookies.

This acquisition adds two category and industry-leading brands to the growing Saco portfolio that naturally align with the company's commitment to excellence and providing high-quality food products to its customers and end consumers.

"We are excited to welcome Ancient Harvest and Pamela's into our family of brands," says Tom Walzer, CEO of Saco Foods. "Broadening our offering with their quality products complements our existing portfolio and leverages our shared service platform to improve service and reinvest in innovation to drive the organic growth of these great legacy brands."

"I am excited to be joining the Saco platform, as it is a natural fit for our brands," says John Becker, former CEO of Quinoa Corporation and now president of Ancient Harvest and Pamela's. "With the support of Saco, we have a great opportunity to reinvigorate these brands and expand our distribution while maintaining the high quality standards our customers and end consumers expect."

Liz Parker Kuhn is the senior editor of Candy Industry and Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, and has worked at BNP Media since 2012. She has written for CBS Detroit as well as for her own blogs. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Liz can be contacted at (248) 839-7156 or at parkere@bnpmedia.com.