TreeHouse Foods

(Redirected from Sturm Foods)

TreeHouse Foods Inc. is a multinational food processing company specializing in producing private label packaged foods headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois.[2][3][4] Created in 2005[5] and consisting entirely of acquisitions,[5] in 2010 the company had sales of $2 billion[5] and employed over 4,000 people at 20 facilities.[5] Food Processing magazine named TreeHouse Foods their 2010 Processor of the Year,[5] calling them "the biggest company you never heard of".[5][6] In 2015, the company was the 37th-largest food and beverage company in North America.[7] In 2018, TreeHouse Foods was ranked No. 446 on the Fortune 500 list.[8] In 2020, it dropped to No. 552 into the Fortune 1000 list.[9]

TreeHouse Foods Inc.
Company typePublic
NYSETHS
S&P 600 component
IndustryGrocery product manufacturer
Founded2005; 19 years ago (2005)
HeadquartersOak Brook, Illinois, United States
ProductsPrivate label grocery products
Revenue$3.45 billion USD (2023)
Number of employees
7,500[1] (2023)
Websitehttp://www.treehousefoods.com

History

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In 2005, Dean Specialty Foods was spun off from Dean Foods as Bay Valley Foods, LLC, a division of TreeHouse Foods, Inc.[10] In June of that year, TreeHouse Foods started trading on the New York Stock Exchange with a ticker of THS.[10]

Michelle Obama was a member of the board of directors from 2005 through 2007.[11]

On October 22 2024, Treehouse foods recalled over 100 varieties of frozen pre-made waffle and pancake products.[12]

Acquisitions and subsidiaries

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  • 2006: Acquired the soup business of Del Monte Foods Company.[10]
  • 2007: Acquired the salsa and picante business of San Antonio Farms, acquired jam, jelly, syrup and pie-filling (both brand name and private-label) producer E. D. Smith, founded by the Canadian politician E. D. Smith[10]
  • 2010: Acquired Sturm Foods and S.T. Specialty Foods[10]
  • 2013: Acquired Naturally Fresh, Inc., Cains Foods,[13][14] and Associated Brands[10][15]
  • 2014: Made a bid to acquire Michael Foods Group Inc[16][17]
  • In April 2014, TreeHouse acquired private-label soup and gravy maker Protenergy Natural Foods from Whitecastle Investments.[18]
  • In June 2014, TreeHouse announced that it was buying Minnesota-based Flagstone Foods for $860 million as a way to gain access to the growing healthy snacks category.[19] The company said the acquisition would push its annual turnover towards $3.5 billion.[20][21][22][23]
  • 2016: Acquired Ralcorp, the ConAgra Foods private-brand business division, for $2.7B.[24]
  • 2020: Acquired majority of Ebro's Riviana Foods U.S. branded pasta business for $242.5 million in cash. The acquisition included the following regional pasta brands: Skinner, No Yolks, American Beauty, Creamette, San Giorgio, Prince Spaghetti and Light 'n Fluffy, Mrs. Weiss', New Mill, P&R Procino-Rossi and Wacky Mac, as well as the St. Louis manufacturing facility, which employs approximately 90 people.[25]

Sturm Foods

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Sturm Foods, Incorporated
Company typePublic
IndustryDry grocery product manufacturer
Founded1905
SuccessorTreeHouse Foods Inc.
HeadquartersManawa, Wisconsin, United States
ProductsSeasonings,Puddings,Gelatins,Powdered drink mixes, Single-serve "K-cups," Dried oatmeal, Organic products, Liquid beverage enhancers
Revenue$77.4 million USD (2006)
Number of employees
1,000 (approximate)
WebsiteExternal link

Sturm Foods is a subsidiary company that manufactures dry groceries under private label brands and distributes them to the foodservice industry and grocery suppliers throughout the world. Sturm Foods' origin was a dairy farm operation begun in 1905[26] by Arthur Sturm and his four sons. The boys began buying eggs from local farmers and shipping them to relatives in Chicago for sale there. This small business eventually expanded into other commodities during the 1930s, such as sugar, seed, twine, potatoes, flour, coal and gasoline. World War II helped increase the business, at that point known as A. Sturm & Sons. The company began manufacturing for the first time bulk amounts of dried food products, such as eggs and powdered milk, to be delivered to American servicemen on the battle fronts. The company entered the private label distribution market in the early 1970s and continues this business model to the current day. The business flourished throughout the eighties and nineties with a broadening product line and employment increasing from 150 to 500 employees. In May 2005, Sturm Foods was acquired by the LLC and private equity firm HM Capital Partners.

On December 1, 2009, HM Capital announced that Sturm Foods was sold to Treehouse Foods for approximately $660 million. The purchase price was made up of $400m in new debt issuance, $100m in equity stock, with the remainder funded by TreeHouse's existing revolving credit facility. With this purchase, the US soup-to-salad dressings firm made a move to further expand its dry grocery offerings. For the 12 months leading to September 30, 2009, Sturm generated sales of $340m. Following the acquisition, TreeHouse has estimated that it will have pro-forma sales of around $1.9bn and adjusted EBITDA of over $275m. The company also expects the transaction to be more than 16% accretive on an annualised basis following the acquisition, adding $0.38 to $0.40 in earnings per share.

Business model

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The company's primary business strategy is to acquire producers of private-label products in Canada and the U.S.[27] It services both the retail grocery[28] and the foodservice distribution channels.[29][30] In addition to private-brand non-dairy creamers, single-serving coffee pods,[31][32] baby foods, salad dressings, marinades, dips, soups,[33] sauces, dry-mix pasta dinners, jams, spreads, and cereals,[17] the company also maintains several brand-name products including Cremora non-dairy coffee lightener,[2] Second Nature egg substitutes, and Nature's Goodness baby foods.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Company Info: TreehouseFoods Inc". WSJ.com. Dow Jones & Company Inc. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Behind the Brand: TreeHouse Foods". Seattle Times. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  3. ^ Hargrave, Marshall (2014-03-26). "There Is Money To Be Made In Store Brand Foods". Motley Fool. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. ^ Watson, Elaine (8 November 2013). "TreeHouse Foods cashes in as consumers opt for premium private label single-serve coffee, tea". Food Navigator. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Fusaro, Dave (30 November 2010). "2010 Processor of the Year: Treehouse Foods". Food Processing. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  6. ^ Thain, Greg (2012). Store Wars: The Worldwide Battle for Mindspace and Shelfspace. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-37406-1.
  7. ^ "Food Processing's Top 100". Food Processing. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  8. ^ "TreeHouse Foods". Fortune. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  9. ^ "TreeHouse Foods Company Profile". Fortune. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "History". TreeHouse Foods. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Obama's Wife Quits Post On TreeHouse Foods Board". www.cnbc.com. 23 May 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  12. ^ "TreeHouse Foods Announces Expansion of Voluntary Recall to Include All Waffle and Pancake Products Due to the Potential for Listeria monocytogenes Contamination". October 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Waterhouse, Gail. "Cains Foods sold for $35 Million to TreeHouse Foods". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  14. ^ "TreeHouse Foods, Inc Completes Acquisition of Cains Foods L.P." Reuters. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  15. ^ "TreeHouse Foods to buy Associated Brands". Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  16. ^ "TreeHouse Foods (THS)/Michael Foods Deal Has Limited Potential". StreetInsider.com. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  17. ^ a b Oran, Olivia (2014-03-19). "TreeHouse Foods joins list of Michael Foods Suitors". Reuters. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  18. ^ Calia, Michael (21 April 2014). "TreeHouse Foods to Buy Protenergy Natural Foods". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  19. ^ "TreeHouse Foods Buying Flagstone Foods for $860M". ABC NEWS. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  20. ^ "TreeHouse Foods acquiring health snack maker Flagstone Foods for $860 mn". Minneapolis News.Net. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  21. ^ Wang, Selina (30 June 2014). "TreeHouse Foods to Buy Flagstone for $860 Million". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  22. ^ "TreeHouse Foods to Acquire Flagstone Foods for $860 million". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  23. ^ Xu, Jodi. "TreeHouse Foods Said to Weigh Acquisition of Flagstone Foods". Business Week. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  24. ^ Finance.yahoo.com: "TreeHouse Foods acquisition of Ralcorp from ConAgra Foods", November 2015.
  25. ^ PRNewswire: "TreeHouse Foods Completes Acquisition of Majority of Ebro's Riviana Foods U.S. Branded Pastas", December 2020.
  26. ^ "TreeHouse closes acquisition of Sturm Foods". Milwaukee Business Journal. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  27. ^ Gelski, Jeff. "TreeHouse on the lookout for acquisitions". Food Business News. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  28. ^ Parker, Jennifer. "Michelle Obama Cuts Ties with Controversial Wal-Mart Supplier". ABC News. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  29. ^ "TreeHouse Foods Profile". Forbes. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  30. ^ "TreeHouse Foods, Inc". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  31. ^ Solon, Olivia (2014-03-04). "Trouble brewing as company adds 'DRM' to coffee". Wired. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  32. ^ "TreeHouse Sues Green Mountain Coffee for Anti-Competitive Product". Reuters. 2014-02-11. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  33. ^ Lindeman, Teresa. "Sales rise and profit falls at TreeHouse Foods". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
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