Boulder Brands

Boulder Brands was an American packaged-food company headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The business was formerly known as Smart Balance and traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol BDBD. Its portfolio was built around consumer food categories associated with health and wellness, including spreads, gluten-free products, natural foods, and plant-based alternatives. The company’s principal brands included Smart Balance, Udi’s, Glutino, Earth Balance, EVOL, and Best Life. These brands addressed different segments of the better-for-you food market: Smart Balance focused on spreads and related products; Earth Balance was associated with plant-based and dairy-free alternatives; Udi’s and Glutino served gluten-free consumers; EVOL operated in frozen foods; and Best Life was another spread-oriented brand in the portfolio. The resulting business was less a single-product brand than a house of consumer food brands organized around dietary needs and perceived wellness benefits. Boulder Brands expanded beyond the United States through acquisitions and international activity. In 2013 it acquired Davies Bakery in the United Kingdom, a gluten-free bakery business that complemented its existing gluten-free portfolio. The acquisition reflected the company’s effort to strengthen its position in specialized foods rather than compete only in conventional grocery categories. The company also rationalized parts of its portfolio. In 2013 Boulder Brands announced plans to discontinue the Best Life spread and Smart Balance Butter Blend categories. These decisions indicate a focus on concentrating resources on selected products and brands within its broader health-and-wellness strategy. Boulder Brands’ independent corporate existence ended after Pinnacle Foods announced in November 2015 that it would acquire the company for approximately $710 million. Pinnacle described the transaction as a way to expand its presence in health and wellness foods. Following the acquisition, Boulder Brands ceased to operate as an independent publicly traded company, while several of its brands became part of Pinnacle Foods’ portfolio. The company is therefore best understood historically as a branded food holding and operating company rather than as a single consumer product line.

Boulder Brands was an American food company based in Boulder, Colorado. Its corporate history was closely linked to Smart Balance, the business name under which the company was previously known. The company traded publicly on the Nasdaq with the ticker BDBD before being acquired by Pinnacle Foods. Rather than operating around one dominant food product, Boulder Brands developed a portfolio of brands aimed at consumers interested in health, wellness, dietary restrictions, and alternative food formats. Its principal brands included Smart Balance, Udi’s, Glutino, Earth Balance, EVOL, and Best Life. Together, these businesses covered spreads, plant-based and dairy-free products, gluten-free bakery and packaged foods, and frozen foods. The company’s strategy reflected the growth of specialized grocery categories. Gluten-free products served consumers with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or a preference for gluten-free diets. Earth Balance provided a plant-based and dairy-free positioning, while EVOL gave the company exposure to frozen foods. Smart Balance and Best Life were associated with spread products. This collection allowed Boulder Brands to participate in multiple health-oriented categories instead of relying on one brand or format. In 2013, Boulder Brands acquired Davies Bakery in the United Kingdom. Davies Bakery was a gluten-free bakery business, and the transaction added international reach and complementary production and brand capabilities to Boulder Brands’ gluten-free operations. The acquisition was consistent with the company’s emphasis on specialized food categories. That same year, Boulder Brands announced plans to discontinue the Best Life spread and Smart Balance Butter Blend categories. The decision represented a degree of portfolio restructuring: although the company continued to use the Smart Balance name, it planned to remove selected product categories and focus on parts of the portfolio with stronger strategic relevance. Boulder Brands remained a publicly traded company until Pinnacle Foods announced in November 2015 that it would acquire the business for approximately $710 million. Pinnacle presented the transaction as a way to expand its health-and-wellness offering. The acquisition ended Boulder Brands’ independent status and brought its brand portfolio into Pinnacle Foods. As a result, Boulder Brands is now primarily a historical corporate identity, while the individual consumer brands are the more durable elements of its legacy.

• 2015

  Pinnacle Foods announces acquisition

  [1]Boulder Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  Pinnacle Foods announced an approximately $710 million acquisition of Boulder Brands, seeking to expand in health and wellness foods.

• 2013

  Acquisition of Davies Bakery

  [1]Boulder Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  Boulder Brands acquired Davies Bakery in the United Kingdom, adding a gluten-free bakery business to its portfolio.

• 2013

  Portfolio discontinuations announced

  [1]Boulder Brandsen.wikipedia.org

  The company announced plans to discontinue the Best Life spread and Smart Balance Butter Blend categories.

A portfolio-based health-and-wellness food company serving consumers seeking gluten-free, plant-based, natural, and better-for-you packaged foods.

• Spreads and buttery alternatives

  Smart Balance

  Smart Balance was Boulder Brands’ legacy signature brand and was associated primarily with spreads and buttery alternatives. The brand formed part of the company’s original corporate identity, since Boulder Brands had previously been known as Smart Balance. In 2013, the company announced that it would discontinue the Smart Balance Butter Blend category while retaining the broader brand within its portfolio.

• Gluten-free bakery and packaged foods

  Udi's

  Udi’s was one of Boulder Brands’ major gluten-free food brands. Its role in the portfolio was to serve consumers seeking gluten-free bakery and packaged-food products. The brand complemented Boulder Brands’ broader focus on dietary-specific and health-oriented grocery categories.

• Gluten-free foods

  Glutino

  Glutino was Boulder Brands’ dedicated gluten-free brand, offering packaged foods for consumers following gluten-free diets. It formed part of the company’s specialized-food platform alongside Udi’s and the acquired Davies Bakery business.

• Plant-based and dairy-free foods

  Earth Balance

  Earth Balance was positioned around plant-based and dairy-free food alternatives. Within Boulder Brands’ portfolio, it represented the company’s participation in non-dairy and plant-forward consumer food categories and broadened the group beyond gluten-free products.

• Frozen foods

  EVOL

  EVOL was Boulder Brands’ frozen-food brand. It gave the company exposure to convenient prepared foods while retaining the broader portfolio emphasis on modern, health-oriented, and differentiated grocery offerings.

• Spreads

  Best Life

  Best Life was a spread brand in Boulder Brands’ portfolio. The company announced in 2013 that it planned to discontinue the Best Life spread category as part of a broader effort to rationalize selected products.

• Gluten-free bakery

  Davies Bakery

  Davies Bakery was a United Kingdom gluten-free bakery business acquired by Boulder Brands in 2013. It expanded the company’s international presence and added manufacturing or operating capability in a category central to Boulder Brands’ strategy.

• 2015

  Agree to acquisition by Pinnacle FoodsM&A

  Background

  Pinnacle Foods wanted to expand its presence in health and wellness foods and identified Boulder Brands’ brand portfolio as strategically complementary.

  Action taken

  Pinnacle Foods announced an agreement to acquire Boulder Brands for approximately $710 million.

  Aftermath

  Boulder Brands ceased to operate as an independent public company and its brands became part of Pinnacle Foods.

  Announced transaction value. $710 million approximately (2015 announcement)

  Source

• 2013

  Acquire Davies BakeryM&A

  Background

  Boulder Brands sought to strengthen its gluten-free portfolio and extend its activity into the United Kingdom.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Davies Bakery, a United Kingdom gluten-free bakery business.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added an international gluten-free bakery operation to Boulder Brands’ group of brands.

  Source

• 2013

  Discontinue selected spread categoriesStrategy

  Background

  The company reviewed its spread portfolio and announced changes affecting Best Life and Smart Balance Butter Blend products.

  Action taken

  Boulder Brands announced plans to discontinue the Best Life spread and Smart Balance Butter Blend categories.

  Aftermath

  The move reduced the scope of selected spread offerings while the company continued operating a broader health-and-wellness food portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Boulder Brandsen.wikipedia.org