Unilever to acquire premium U.S.-based wellbeing business in VMS category

(PRESS RELEASE) Englewood Cliffs, N.J., USA, 19-Apr-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — Unilever to acquire a premium U.S.-based wellbeing business in the vitamins, minerals, and supplements (VMS) category, OLLY Nutrition.

OLLY Nutrition, established as a B Corp, was co-founded by Eric Ryan in 2014. Ryan also co-founded home and personal care products company method®. It is based in San Francisco, California (U.S.). Its mission is to make nutrition delightfully easy as it believes good health is the foundation of happiness. OLLY is known for its gummy vitamins and supplements, and also sells protein powders and snack bars.

Amanda Sourry, President of Unilever North America, commented: “We are delighted to welcome OLLY Nutrition to our portfolio of brands. OLLY is a strong, innovative brand in the fast-growing health and wellbeing space, and nicely complements our businesses in Beauty & Personal Care and Foods & Refreshment. OLLY’s focus on making nutrition delightfully easy aligns closely with Unilever values and our continued commitment to improving people’s wellbeing.”

“We are thrilled to work with Unilever to grow the OLLY brand and amplify our mission, culture and commitment to helping people feel happy inside out,” said, Eric Ryan, co-founder of OLLY.

Eric Ryan, who will assume the role of Chief Growth Officer of OLLY, exploring further opportunities in the health and wellbeing area; and Gerry Chesser, current COO of OLLY, who will take on the role as CEO of OLLY. OLLY Nutrition will continue to be based in San Francisco.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

SOURCE: Unilever