US supplier Vita Specialty Foods bought by peer SVB Foods

Honey and salad dressings manufacturer Vita Specialty Foods has been acquired by fellow US business SVB Foods.

West Virginia-based SVB Foods is a contract manufacturer making condiments, including salad dressings, marinades and sauces. It also supplies packaging materials.

Vita Specialty Foods, based in Virginia, offers a portfolio of food products through licensing agreements and private label. It also has its own brands, including Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette.

SVB Foods bought Vita Specialty Foods from Chicago-based seafood business Vita Food Products for an undisclosed sum.

Terry Hess, CEO of SVB Foods, said: “We are truly excited about the acquisition of Vita Specialty Foods. This opportunity allows SVB Foods to respond more effectively to market trends and consumer preferences. Our mission is to provide quality products at a fair price and to do the right thing for our customers, our employees, and our communities.”

It said the acquisition enables it to expand its private labelling and licensing programmes.

Vita Specialty Foods was formed in 2002 when Vita Food Products created it as a subsidiary to house the acquisitions of Virginia Honey Company and The Halifax Group, trading as Oak Hill Farms.

SVB Foods said that post-deal Virginia will continue as a “trusted brand of honey and salad dressings” and Oak Hill Farms will continue to offer a line of dressings, dips and marinades.

SVB Foods, which has provided contract packaging services to Vita Specialty Foods since 2012, has a 70,000 square-foot food manufacturing facility in West Virginia.

The acquired business’s former owner Vita Foods can trace its origins back to 1898. It sells its seafood products under the brands Vita, Elf and Grand Isle.

It went through an IPO in 1997 before the business was taken back private in 2009. The company was previously owned by Dean Foods.