ORRVILLE, OH — The J.M. Smucker Co. has sold its private label dry pet food business, including its manufacturing facility in Frontenac, KS, to Diamond Pet Foods Inc.
The deal was a cash transaction valued at approximately $33 million, according to a press release.
“This divestiture enables us to focus investments and resources on areas of our pet food and pet snacks business positioned for growth and profitability, including driving category growth in dog snacks, building upon our momentum in cat food — particularly with Meow Mix, and stabilizing Nutrish dog food by growing consumer demand,” said Rob Ferguson, senior vice president and general manager for pet food and pet snacks at Smucker (NYSE: SJM).
The transaction does not include any branded products or the company’s private label wet pet food business. The divested business generated net sales of approximately $95 million for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2021.
Diamond stated in a press release that at the Kansas facility, no disruptions in staffing or production are expected. Diamond plans to retain the more than 200 people currently employed.
“Diamond is happy to become a part of the Frontenac family, and we’re proud to be adding this facility to our portfolio of quality, state-of-the-art and safety-certified facilities,” said Mark Schell, executive vice president at Diamond Pet Foods. “Consumer demand for pet food is rapidly increasing and we’re growing to meet that demand. We’re excited to be expanding to provide even more families with pet food. From our signature Diamond Pet Foods to our Taste of the Wild brands, we’re taking the next steps to ensure we can provide our customers with the quality pet foods they expect and deserve.”