Dive Brief:
- Hostess Brands, maker of Twinkies, is in talks to acquire Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp, per Reuters sources.
- Give and Go is a Canadian manufacturer of thaw-and-serve sweet baked goods with a portfolio that includes Two-Bite Brownies and Kimberly's Bakeshoppe cupcakes. Its owner, OMERS Private Equity, the buyout sector of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, was rumored to be considering a sale or initial public offering for Give and Go, according to a September report from Reuters.
- Hostess isn't the only brand in line for Give and Go, so a purchase isn't certain, the sources said.
Dive Insight:
Last summer, Reuters reported that Hostess' owner Apollo Global Management LLC considered selling the company earlier this year but instead decided that an IPO would be a more profitable decision. However, Apollo hasn't moved forward with those IPO plans yet.
"An IPO is not on the table today," Hostess owner Dean Metropoulos told Forbes in July, denouncing a Reuters report at the time.
Give and Go manufactures private-label products for retailers in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Europe, Australia, and Japan.
Earlier this year, Hostess expanded in other ways — its bread lineup. Last summer, Hostess started selling its branded white and wheat bread in addition to hamburger and hot dog buns to convenience, drug, and dollar stores, which were already selling other Hostess products. When Apollo acquired Hostess in 2013, it was initially not interested in the company's bread portfolio and sold off Wonder Bread, Nature’s Pride, and assorted bread products to Flower Foods and other buyers.