CINCINNATI, Jan. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- J.W. Child Associates, a Boston-based private equity firm and the owner of Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SDBC), has agreed to sell SDBC to Brynwood Partners VII L.P. for an undisclosed amount pending regulatory approval. SDBC, a Cincinnati-based company, was formed by J.W. Childs in 2004 when it acquired the iconic SunnyD brand from The Procter & Gamble Company.
Brynwood Partners also owns the Harvest Hill Beverage Company which markets Juicy Juice products, the Hug juice brand and Daily's Cocktails brand.
"We are pleased that Brynwood VII has agreed to acquire Sunny Delight," said Billy Cyr, president and CEO, SDBC. "Our team looks forward to working collaboratively with Brynwood VII's management as we develop a detailed business plan for implementation following regulatory approval which is expected in the first quarter of 2016. Additionally, we have enjoyed our partnership with the team at J.W. Childs and greatly value the support, vision and expertise they brought to our business over the past eleven years."
"We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Sunny Delight," said Henk Hartong III, chairman and CEO, Brynwood Partners. "The iconic Sunny Delight brand, with its highly recognizable bottle design, has a loyal customer following and is an important brand for retailers in the U.S. and Canada. We are also excited about the company's four manufacturing facilities as they provide Sunny Delight with significant manufacturing flexibility to provide our retail partners with new, innovative products in a timely manner."
Adam Suttin, Partner, J.W. Childs Associates said, "We are pleased with the results of this transaction which, together with our prior divestitures of Sunny Delight's European divisions, represents a successful outcome for our firm. We wish Sunny Delight and Brynwood VII the best of success."
About Sunny Delight Beverages Co.:
Sunny Delight Beverages Co. is a leading producer, distributor and marketer of juices, juice drinks and flavored waters in North America. Its brands include the market leading Sunny Delight juice drink, Veryfine juices and drinks, and Fruit2O flavored and sparkling flavored waters. The company operates four plants across the U.S. that service both refrigerated and shelf stable distribution systems and supply a wide range of customers in the grocery, club, mass merchandise, convenience, dollar and drug channels. For more information, please visit www.sunnyd.com.
About J.W. Childs Associates:
J.W. Childs Associates is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market growth companies. Since inception in 1995, J.W. Childs has invested in excess of $3 billion of equity capital in more than 40 best-in-class companies across the consumer, specialty retail and healthcare industries. The firm's success has been built on its industry focus and the extensive operating expertise of its partners. J.W. Childs is investing out of its fourth private equity fund, which was raised in 2014. For more information about J.W. Childs Associates, please visit www.jwchilds.com.
About Brynwood Partners:
Brynwood Partners, founded in 1984 and based in Greenwich, CT, is an operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based lower middle market companies in the consumer sector. Brynwood Partners currently manages more than $725 million of private equity capital for its limited partners, which include U.S. and international pension funds, funds-of-funds, endowments, high net worth family investment offices and institutions. For more information on Brynwood Partners, please visitwww.brynwoodpartners.com.
About Harvest Hill Beverage Company:
Harvest Hill Beverage Company, based in Stamford, CT, was formed by Brynwood Partners VII L. P. in June 2014 to acquire the iconic Juicy Juice brand from Nestle USA, Inc. Juicy Juice is the largest 100% juice brand in the U.S. and is focused on the children's segment. The company markets Juicy Juice products in single-serve and multi-serve formats to the retail and foodservice channels. In March 2015, Harvest Hill acquired American Beverage Corporation from Wessanen, a publicly-traded food and beverage company based in Holland. With the American Beverage Corporation acquisition, Harvest Hill added the Hug juice brand and Daily's Cocktails brand. The company intends to grow both organically and through strategic add-on acquisitions. For more information on Harvest Hill, please visit www.harvesthill.com.
