Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces the sale of Nature Delivered Ltd. (trading as graze), a portfolio company of Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, on its sale to Unilever. graze is a technology-enabled healthy snacks brand that sells its products online, directly to consumers and in retail. The transaction, led by Glenn Gurtcheff, William Bain, Ryan Freeman, Andreas Poth, Andy Warczak and Faye Maughan of Harris Williams’ Consumer Group, extends the firm’s track record in the healthy snack sector.
“Unilever is a strong cultural fit for graze; they share a common vision for the roles healthy snacking and direct-to-consumer will play in helping to shape the future landscape of food,” said Ryan Freeman, a director at Harris Williams. “The partnership between the two businesses provides a compelling platform for future growth. We wish them all the best for the future.”
“graze is a unique, innovative company and a pioneer in the healthy snack sector, well positioned at the forefront of evolving consumer preferences and trends. It has been a privilege to work with graze’s senior team to find the right partner,” said William Bain, a managing director at Harris Williams.
graze, one of the U.K.’s largest healthy snacking brands, has been helping consumers reimagine how snacking can fuel their busy lives over the last 10 years. With an innovative tech-led multichannel model operating direct-to-consumers, online and via retail, the business has access to unique data enabling it to pioneer innovation, as well as maintain relationships with its most loyal customers. graze is present in over 30,000 top retailers across the U.K., as well as national U.S. retailers such as Target, Walgreens and 7-Eleven.
Related: Exclusive interview: Making healthy snack choices with graze
