Heinz, Hain Market Co-Branded Soy Beverages

Heinz, Hain Market Co-Branded Soy Beverages

PITTSBURGH--The H.J. Heinz Co. and the Hain Celestial Group are set to market co-branded soy beverage products after initial test marketing. Heinz and Hain have been strategic partners for more than two years, after Heinz bought a 19.5-percent share in Hain.

The companies will market co-branded, non-dairy beverage products under the Health Valley Great Awakenings brand name; the Health Valley name is owned byHain; Great Awakenings is a new Heinz trademark specifically created for this product line. This line will be test marketed in Minneapolis and Denver before being nationally mass marketed. This is the first soy-based beverage productfor Heinz.

According to Michael Mullen, manager of communications at Heinz North America, future plans include expanding the Great Awakenings brand into other brands and products under the Hain and Heinz names. "[Natural foods] is one of the fastest growing sectors of grocery right now, and having Hain's expertise and distribution in this area is good business for both companies," Mullen said.

In related news, Heinz will be responsible for the sales and marketing of all Hain brands to club stores effective Sept. 1. "From the inception of our relationship with Heinz, we knew that our combined strength would enable us to enter new markets more quickly and build greater value for our shareholders," said Irwin Simon, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Hain Celestial. For additional information, visit www.hain-celestial.com or www.heinz.com.