Danone Acquires Happy Family Organic Baby Food

PARISDanone announced it has signed an agreement to acquire more than 90% equity interest in New York-based Happy Family, the fourth largest maker of baby food in the United States. The strategic alliance will raise the bar for childrens nutrition in the United States by combining both companies shared commitment to social responsibility and innovation.

Launched in 2006, Happy Family holds more than 4% of the U.S. baby food sector. The companys gross sales total more than $60 million and strong growth is expected in 2013. Specializing in products made with premium organic ingredients, Happy Family has been a driver in the baby food category's growth over the past few years. Its robust development is driven by a wide and varied range of products that combine convenience with clearly defined nutritional benefits.

 We are delighted with this acquisition in an innovative and fast-moving segment of the baby food market. Building on a business model that has proven its effectiveness, we plan to step up the development of Happy Family and its brands," said Felix Martin Garcia, executive vice president of the Danone Baby Nutrition division.

Everyday operations of Happy Family will remain unchanged, with the original two momsShazi Visram, founder and CEO, and Jessica Rolph, founding partner and COOcontinuing to oversee all sectors of the business with the same purity of purpose. Groupe Danone will assume the role of parent company providing additional resources allowing Happy Family to pioneer even more new products that deliver positive nutrition to babies and toddlers.

Commenting on the agreement, Happy Familys Visram, said: By joining Danone, Happy Family will benefit from the expertise of a major international group, in particular for distribution and its renowned R&D capabilities. We are thrilled, as this agreement will allow us to further our goal of providing organic nutrition to more children, both by making our products more available and by continuing to provide new innovations to the baby and toddler category."

The transaction is subject to the approval of the relevant authorities and is expected to be finalized in the next few months.