Wessanen acquires dairy alternative brand Abbot Kinney’s

Wessanen has agreed a deal to acquire plant-based dairy alternative brand Abbot Kinney’s for an undisclosed sum.

Founded in 2014, Abbot Kinney’s produces a range of yogurts and ice cream from coconuts and almonds, and its product range is available in health food stores across Europe, with a particularly strong presence in The Netherlands.

Wessanen claims that the addition of the brand forms part of its expanded focus on the plant-based food sector, and the company says that the incorporation of Abbot Kinney’s ice creams and yogurts differentiates its portfolio of dairy alternatives products.

Christophe Barnouin, CEO of Wessanen said: “Driving the change to plant-based food is the essence of our strategy.

“The acquisition of Abbot Kinney’s is a further step in accelerating growth and innovation in our core categories.

“Beyond drinks, the segment of plant-based yoghurt alternatives and ice-cream is an excellent and so far mostly untapped growth opportunity for us.

“Abbot Kinney’s is a fast-growing and innovative brand that has developed a range of strong products which we believe will thrive within the Wessanen family.”

Jimme Slippens and Gijs van Maasakkers, founders of Abbot Kinney’s added: “We are very enthusiastic joining forces with Wessanen.

“The past years we have worked hard to establish a brand that believes in an organic and plant-based future of food; important beliefs that we also found at Wessanen.

“With a mission to make plant-based dairy alternatives mainstream, we are certain that joining the Wessanen family will make Abbot Kinney’s the leading brand on plant-based dairy alternatives innovation in Europe.”