Consolidation in the private-label manufacturing sector remains hot in 2026 with CK Snacks acquiring Keystone Food Products, Inc. for an undisclosed amount.
Neither company could be immediately reached for comment.
The acquisition follows some big deals in the private-label sector earlier this year, including London-based private equity firm Investindustrial’s purchase of the largest US private-label manufacturer, TreeHouse Foods, Inc., for $2.9 billion in February.
Keystone joins CK Snacks
Few details were disclosed about Grand Rapids, Mich.-based CK Snacks’ acquisition of Easton, Penn.-based Keystone.
Keystone’s state-of-the-art facility expands CK Snacks’ manufacturing capabilities to the East Coast, the CK Snacks said.
“Keystone brings a decades-long legacy of manufacturing excellence to the CK Snacks platform, specializing in masa and cooked corn tortilla chips, corn chips, baked and fried extruded snacks, die cut and random-shaped snacks, party mixes, pellets and natural and organic snack lines,” the CK Snacks said.
It added that the acquisition “further positions the combined platform as a premier partner to major retailers, grocery chains and branded food companies across North America.”
Snack makers join forces
Keystone, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, produces a broad range of snack products, including tortilla chips, corn chips, extruded snacks (such as cheese puffs), pellets and organic/natural products. The Easton plant also operates as a co-packing facility.
In addition to manufacturing private-label lines, the company produces its own snack foods, such as party mix, onion rings, veggie sticks and hot crunchies, Keystone said on its website.
CK Snacks has served customers since 1964 and has grown to become a manufacturer of private-label snacks like extruded cheese puffs, popcorn and other natural/organic snacks, the company said.
CK Foods growing
The acquisition comes less than two years after CK Foods purchased Beloit, Ill.-based Axium Foods, LLC, a private-label company that manufactures corn-based snack foods such as tortilla chips, corn chips and party mix.
“Axium Foods’ expertise in tortilla chip and snack production will complement our existing product lines, enabling us to offer an even broader range of snacks,” said Jamie Colbourne, CEO of CK Snacks, in 2024. “This acquisition marks a pivotal moment in our growth strategy, and we look forward to working together to deliver innovative, high-quality products to our customers.”
Along with its flagship facility in Grand Rapids and the Axium plant in Beloit, the Keystone acquisition brings CK Foods’ manufacturing footprint to three locations across the US.
Competition heating up in private label
CK Foods could be readying for competition from bigger players in the industry with its recent buying spree.
In addition to Investindustrial’s multi-billion purchase of TreeHouse Foods in February, which took private the only publicly traded private-label manufacturer in the US, CK also faces a potential challenge from Keep It Real Foods, LLC.
Keep It Real is a private-equity backed platform that brings together five companies – Oakhouse Bakery, MaGi Foods, Small Batch Organics, RIND Snacks and Whirlybird Granola – to form a contract manufacturing platform for private-label brands.
