Orchard House makes prepared fruit, juices, fruit desserts and ingredients.

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. — The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. has acquired Orchard House Foods Ltd. from Wellness Foods Ltd. Orchard House makes prepared fruit, juices, fruit desserts and ingredients and has facilities in Corby and Gateshead in the United Kingdom. The company supplies retailers, on-the-go food outlets, food service providers and manufacturers in the United Kingdom. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Irwin Simon, Hain Celestial
Irwin D. Simon, founder, president and c.e.o. of Hain Celestial

“We are excited about the acquisition of Orchard House, which expands our presence in the on-trend fresh category with prepared fruit, drinks and desserts,” said Irwin D. Simon, founder, president and chief executive officer of Hain Celestial. “Orchard House provides us with the opportunity to expand fruit product offerings into continental Europe, as well as new product development with cold pressed juice and branded fruit product offerings in the United Kingdom. Additionally, we expect sales and operating efficiencies in terms of fruit procurement across our businesses around the world. Along with the acquisition comes innovative new processing technology to expand the shelf life of fresh fruit and juices. We also believe there may be opportunities to leverage Orchard House’s expertise into new branded product offerings in fruit, juice and bars under the Ella’s Kitchen, Hartley’s, Johnson’s Juice Co. and Sun-Ripe brands.”

James Skidmore, managing director at Wellness Foods, will report to Jeremy Hudson, c.e.o. of Hain Daniels Group.

“We look forward to working with James and the rest of the leadership team to expand our business in the United Kingdom and into continental Europe,” Mr. Simon said.

Hain said it expects Orchard House to generate approximately $60 million to $65 million in net sales during fiscal 2016.

The acquisition is subject to clearance from the Competition Market Authority in the United Kingdom. Until formal clearance has been received, Hain Daniels and Orchard House will continue to operate independently. Thereafter, the company expects to deliver synergies and explore growth opportunities. The financial results of Orchard House will be consolidated into Hain’s United Kingdom operating segment.

Founded in 1985, Orchard House Foods was the first business in the United Kingdom to commercialize freshly-squeezed orange juice. In 2005 Orchard House Foods was acquired by Wellness Foods, a family of companies who develop natural food and beverages.