RIND Snacks acquires Small Batch Organics to grow sustainable snacking

Sustainable snack brand RIND Snacks has acquired Small Batch Organics, a Vermont-based manufacturer of award-winning granola products, the brand announced Tuesday.

The acquisition marks a major milestone in RIND's evolution from a leading dried fruit brand into a vertically integrated healthy snack platform. At a time when many consumer packaged brands have scaled back in reaction to shifting market dynamics, RIND, a New York brand, is making bold moves to proactively strengthen its business by taking ownership of manufacturing and fulfillment while significantly expanding its product range and R&D capabilities to ensure long-term success.

RIND Cherry Cashew Crunch, which features upcycled cherries, spiced cashews and vanilla granola clusters, is the first product from the combined brand.

Small Batch is a natural extension of RIND's mission to bring wholesome and sustainable foods that maximize nutrition and minimize waste to more customers. It makes granola and granola bark in a variety of flavors such as toasted coconut ginger, coffee bean and strawberry. Its Cherry Vanilla Bean granola won a Good Food Award in the snacks category in 2020.

The company's product innovation and manufacturing expertise, combined with RIND's strength in sales, distribution and brand affinity, creates a dynamic snacking business that spans approximately 12,000 retail stores and is slated to generate more than $25 million in retail sales by year's end.

RIND’s Piña Colada REMIX was a finalist for the Expo East 2023 NEXTY Award in the Best New Sweet Snack category.

"Today marks the start of a fruitful new chapter in RIND's journey as a leading, better-for-you snack brand," says founder and CEO Matt Weiss. "The addition of Small Batch and its dedicated team enhances our ability to craft premium, healthy and innovative snacks for more customers in a flexible and highly scalable manner."

The acquisition, the first for the six-year-old brand, will drive significant margin growth and operating efficiencies through vertical integration. Directly managing more of its supply chain will also meaningfully reduce environmental impact, a core focus for the brand since its founding in 2018.

RIND has emerged as a sustainable snack leader through its use of upcycled, whole fruit and diverts over 1 million pounds of food waste from landfills annually. Small Batch shares the same commitment to sustainability through its use of 100% solar energy and renewable packaging solutions.

"RIND and Small Batch share a special kinship that makes this outcome such a natural fit. Our products and values are highly complementary, and we're thrilled to be joining forces with RIND on its mission to produce delicious and sustainable snacks for people and planet," said Small Batch founder Lindsay Martin, who now oversees production and new product development for the combined business.

Small Batch's products will be rebranded as RIND over the course of the year, and several collaborative innovations will be released. The first joint product, RIND Cherry Cashew Crunch, features upcycled cherries, spiced cashews and vanilla granola clusters. The snack, made entirely in the U.S., is the first in RIND's new fruit, nut and granola REMIX line.

Source: RIND Snacks