Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever is to beef up its health and wellness offering through the acquisition of US-based SmartyPants Vitamins.
The Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Marmite owner said it had signed an agreement to buy the Los Angeles-based vitamin, mineral and supplement business for an undisclosed sum.
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SmartyPants Vitamins was founded in 2011 by entrepreneurs Courtney Nichols Gould and Gordon Gould with an emphasis on using natural ingredients.
It works with non-GMO certified ingredients and a range of sustainably sourced “bio-available nutrients”. Their product range is free from synthetic colours, artificial flavours, sweeteners and preservatives.
Peter Ter Kulve, president of health and wellbeing at Unilever, said SmartyPants Vitamins “complements Unilever’s portfolio of brands in the functional nutrition and supplement segment”, pointing to brands such as Horlicks and Olly.
The Gould owners, who are co-CEOs, added: “From the start, SmartyPants Vitamins has been about family, authenticity and a core commitment to our collective well-being. We are excited to work with Unilever to grow the SmartyPants brand.”
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By GlobalDataSmartyPants Vitamins has a long-standing partnership with non-profit organisation Vitamin Angels to provide vitamins for mothers, expectant mothers and children in need worldwide.
Unilever has completed several deals in the last two years in areas similar to SmartyPants Vitamins.
In April this year, the company acquired the food-and-beverage brand Horlicks and other consumer healthcare nutrition products from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
In April 2019, it bought US-based vitamins-to-snack-bars firm Olly Nutrition.
