Smucker acquires Enray: Getting into the organic and gluten-free pasta, grains and cookies ball game

ORRVILLE, OHIO — The J.M. Smucker Co. has acquired Enray, Inc., a Livermore, Calif.-based manufacturer and marketer of organic, gluten-free grain products.

Enray’s products include sprouted and non-sprouted grains, pasta and cookies, most of which are sold under the truRoots brand.

“This acquisition strengthens and adds to the breadth of our natural foods business, extending it beyond the leadership position we currently hold in the natural and organic beverages category,” said Richard Smucker, chief executive officer. “The addition of the truRoots brand and its organic quinoa and other ancient grain products provides an on-trend, compelling product platform across the rapidly growing gluten-free market.”

The acquisition includes a manufacturing facility in Livermore, Calif. Enray had net sales of more than $45 million during the last year, but details of the transaction were not released. 

J.M. Smucker Co. is adding the TruRoots brand to its portfolio.

The Orrville-based food products maker and marketer Wednesday announced the acquisition of Livermore, Calif.-based Enray Inc., which makes organic and gluten-free pasta, cookies and grains such as rice and quinoa under the name TruRoots.

Details of the transaction were not disclosed, but it also included a leased manufacturing facility.

Enray had sales of more than $45 million over its latest 12-month period, according to Smucker.

TruRoots adds to Smucker’s natural foods business. The company already owns several natural and organic beverage brands, including Santa Fe Organic, Laura Scudder’s and R.W. Knudsen Family.

Smucker (NYSE:SJM) is a manufacturer and marketer of a wide variety of jams and jellies, coffee, peanut butter and other food product brands, including Smucker’s, Folgers, Jif and Crisco. It reported its first-quarter results Wednesday.

$4.2B gluten-free food market only expected to keep growing

$4.2B gluten-free

food market only expected to keep growing

(Article written by Roger Riddell for Fooddive.com, original article can be found here)

Dive Summary:

• Packaged Facts reports that gluten-free food sales reached $4.2 billion last year, with the market forecast to top $6.6 billion in 2017.
• Gluten-free foods have become popular due to some consumers' belief that they can't tolerate the protein, which is found in foods processed with grains, and parents who say gluten is harmful to children with autism, though NPD Group senior analyst Harry Balzer expects interest in the category to fade eventually.
• Food giants like Mondelez International, General Mills and Kellogg's all offer gluten-free foods, and restaurants like Domino's Pizza are also beginning to cash in on the latest health interest.

From the article:
... A recent survey released by NPD Group found that 29% of U.S. adults say they want to either cut back or eliminate gluten from their diets, an increase from 24% in 2009. However, NPD senior analyst Harry Balzer tells MSN Money he expects interest in the category to fade, though he isn't sure when.
"This is the health issue of the day," he said, adding that his research doesn't delve into why people want to buy gluten-free goods. ...

READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM MSN.COM HERE