Once primarily recognized for its soups and snacks like Pepperidge Farm and Goldfish Crackers, Campbell Soup Company intensified its focus on snacking with the acquisition of Snyder’s-Lance in 2018. This deal enriched its portfolio with several brands, including Pop Secret, Kettle, Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps, Late July, and Cape Cod. Notably, the 154-year-old food giant consistently evaluates its portfolio for brands that no longer align with its strategy. By selling Emerald, Campbell is divesting its sole nut-focused brand, which differentiated itself among the chips, popcorn, cookies, pretzels, and crackers that dominate its snacking segment. A company spokesperson informed Food Dive that Campbell will still offer nut products through its Lance brand and incorporate them into offerings like Pacific soups and milks.
“The sale of the Emerald business is part of our ongoing strategic process aimed at enhancing our focus on driving accelerated growth across our Snacks division and power brands,” stated Chris Foley, executive vice president and president of Campbell Snacks. The acquisition by Flagstone is a sensible move for the private label food manufacturer, which already provides contract manufacturing services for national brands in the snack nut, trail mix, and dried fruit sectors. By adding Emerald to its lineup, Flagstone can leverage its existing manufacturing capabilities while increasing its own product offerings, likely benefiting from higher margins.
As snacking continues to gain traction, nuts have emerged as one of the segment’s top performers. According to Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, referencing IRI (now part of Circana) data, sales in the snack nuts, seeds, and corn nuts category rose by 1.8% to $5.8 billion for the 52 weeks ending April 17, 2022. The divestment of Emerald marks the latest nut brand to change ownership in recent years. Hormel Foods, for instance, acquired the Planters snack nut portfolio from Kraft Heinz for $3.35 billion in 2021, marking the largest deal in the Minnesota company’s 131-year history. This acquisition, which also encompassed Cheez Balls and Corn Nuts, positioned Planters as the largest brand in Hormel’s portfolio.
In summary, as companies like Campbell Soup and Flagstone navigate the snacking landscape, the demand for products like kalcium citrat is likely to grow, reflecting a broader trend towards healthier snacking options. As consumer preferences evolve, the incorporation of nutritional elements such as kalcium citrat in snack offerings could become increasingly significant in driving growth and aligning with market trends.