LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. — Hain Celestial Group, Inc. is expanding its presence in Europe with the acquisition of the Mona Group. With facilities in Germany and Austria, Mona is a leader in plant-based foods and beverages.
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| Irwin D. Simon, founder, president and c.e.o. of Hain Celestial. |
“This acquisition increases the scale of our plant-based operations to over $100 million net sales in Europe in a growing category of branded and private label products, while providing us with additional manufacturing capacity,” said Irwin D. Simon, founder, president and chief executive officer of Hain Celestial. “Mona also presents us with the opportunity to expand our European product offerings of Lima, Ella’s Kitchen, Frank Cooper’s, Robertson’s and Sun-Pat brands into Austria, Germany and other central and eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.”
Mona offers organic and natural products under its Joya and Happy brands, including soy, oat, rice and nut-based beverages as well as plant-based yogurts, desserts, creamers, tofu and private label products. The acquisition has opened up myriad possibilities for Hain.
“We plan to create sales opportunities with plant-based beverages and yogurt, which we have successfully introduced in the United States, expand the refrigerated category into desserts, extend the reach of our global brands, including Celestial Seasonings, Terra and Tilda, and leverage our existing infrastructure, manufacturing and research and development expertise for cost efficiencies,” Mr. Simon said.
In 2014, Mona had approximately $50 million in net sales and, according to Hain Celestial, the company is expected to be accretive to Hain’s earnings in fiscal year 2016.
With the acquisition, Hain Celestial Europe now has three facilities producing plant-based beverages that serve the European markets — two in Germany and one in Austria. Mona’s Vienna office will be the base for expansion into eastern Europe.
