Landec Corp. subsidiary Apio, known for its Eat Smart packaged vegetables and salad kits, has acquired Yucatan Foods.
Guacamole brands Yucatan and Cabo Fresh will be key assets for Landec going forward, with the guacamole category at $375 million and growing, according to a news release.
“The acquisition of Yucatan Foods provides Landec Natural Foods with on-trend products that consumers are craving,” Landec president and CEO Molly Hemmeter said in the release. “In addition to new guacamole recipes, Yucatan recently launched its Guac-N-Chips product, meeting the needs of the on-the-go consumer, and avocado butter products.
“The addition of Yucatan Foods not only broadens our plant-based product offering but enhances the Landec Natural Foods capabilities within sales, customer service, supply chain and innovation to better serve our customers for the long-term,” Hemmeter said.
Yucatan products are normally sold in the deli section, and Cabo Fresh products are normally sold in the produce section, per the release.
The Cabo Fresh brand is particularly geared toward plant-forward consumers, made with 100% clean ingredients.
“Plant-forward consumers are currently seeking solutions outside of retail stores — in foodservice, direct-to-consumer meal kits, and home preparation,” Hemmeter said in the release. “Our growing portfolio of plant-based products enables us to work strategically with our customers to evolve the fresh perimeter of the store by offering solutions that attract the growing population of plant-forward consumers and bring them back in store.”