Dive Brief:
- With the announcement of an agreement to sell Opta Minerals, Toronto-based SunOpta Inc. will become a pure-play healthy and organic foods company.
- SunOpta is a global company focused on organic, non-GMO and specialty foods. Its operations focus on the sourcing, processing and packaging of value-added grain, seed, fruit and vegetable-based product offerings.
- With the sale of Opta Minerals for approximately $6.2 million to an affiliate of Speyside Equity Fund I LP, SunOpta closes a chapter in its history.
Dive Insight:
In recent months, SunOpta has been expanding its food business. In October, the company completed the acquisition of Sunrise Holdings Inc., a frozen fruit supplier, increasing the scale of its private label frozen fruit.
Also last fall, SunOpta announced an underwritten public offering: just over $100 million on more than 16 million shares at a public offering price of about $6 per share.
SunOpta also acquired the assets of the Niagara Natural Fruit Snack Company Inc., which is "a growing and innovative manufacturer of healthy non-GMO and organic fruit snacks," which provided the company with manufacturing facilities in the east and the west, according to a statement.
Last summer, SunOpta announced an expansion of stand-up pouch packaging capabilities for frozen fruits, roasted snacks and fruit snacks.