Continental Mills acquires Kretschmer brand, processing facility

12-Dec-2012 - Last updated on 12-Dec-2012 at 14:45 GMT

Continental Mills, the privately owned manufacturer of Krusteaz and Ghiardelli-brand products, has acquired Sun Country Foods, Inc., the company announced Tuesday. The transaction includes the Kretschmer Wheat Germ brand and a manufacturing facility located in Manhattan, Kansas. The terms and conditions of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Kretschmer brand was founded in 1936 by Charles Kretschmer, and now has a 90% market share in the U.S. wheat germ category and is offered in two flavors: Original Toasted and Honey Crunch. Sun Country Foods was formed by Brynwood Partners VI in 2011 to acquire the brand.

"The purchase of Sun Country Foods and the Kretschmer® Wheat Germ brand are very much aligned with our core product lines. We are very interested in investing in our branded business and this is a great health oriented food that has been a mainstay in the health category of products for many years,” said John Heily, president and CEO of Continental Mills.

Founded in 1932, Continental Mills, based in Tukwila, Wash., manufactures and markets the Krusteaz line of pancake and baking mikes, Ghirardelli brownie and cookie mixes and WildRoots all natural trail mixes and grain blends in addition to other products.