Unilever to acquire Schmidt’s Naturals
By Canadian Packaging staff
General Unilever Unilever acquires Schmidt's Naturals Unilever North America Unilever Personal CareUnilever has announced an agreement to acquire Schmidt’s Naturals, a personal care company based in Portland, Oregon.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ—Unilever is acquiring personal care company Schmidt’s Naturals out of Portland, OR.
Founded in 2010 by Jaime Schmidt, Schmidt’s Naturals started as a deodorant brand and has extended its offering to bar soap and toothpaste. Schmidt’s natural deodorants include award-winning formulas derived from plants and minerals. Its most popular variants include Charcoal + Magnesium, Rose + Vanilla, Lavender + Sage, as well as fragrance-free offerings.
“Schmidt’s Naturals is a strong, innovative brand in the fast-growing natural category, and nicely complements our existing portfolio of US deodorants which includes leading brands Degree, Axe and Dove,” says Unilever North America president Kees Kruythoff. “The brand’s focus on transparency and mission to make natural products accessible to everyone aligns closely with Unilever values and represents an exciting category expansion for our family of brands.”
Unilever Personal Care president Alan Jope adds: “Schmidt’s Naturals is a great strategic fit for our Personal Care business, allowing us to reach new consumers who prefer natural options. We look forward to utilizing our Personal Care leadership to extend Schmidt’s Naturals into new sales channels and geographies.”
Co-founders Jaime Schmidt (see photo above) and Michael Cammarata will continue to be involved with the brand.
“Today is a momentous day in the history of Schmidt’s Naturals as we announce our joining of the Unilever family of brands,” says Schmidt. “Thanks to our community, what started humbly in my kitchen and local farmers’ markets has grown into homes worldwide. I am proud to say that as a result of our partnership with Unilever, we are better positioned than ever in our mission to make natural products accessible to all. Moreover, Unilever’s substantive actions towards creating a more sustainable and equitable future for diverse peoples across the planet further fuels the enthusiasm behind our alliance.”
Schmidt’s co-founder and chief executive officer Cammarata states, “As long as I can remember, I’ve had one dream—to build and be part of a meaningful company that would help change the world and empower people everywhere to live their best lives. Today, Schmidt’s Naturals and Unilever are coming together to bring natural products to the world in new and innovative ways. Through our partnership, we look forward to Unilever taking Schmidt’s Naturals to new heights and cementing the brand’s mission.”
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Subject to any applicable governmental authorizations, the transaction is expected to close no later than the first quarter 2018.
For information on Unilever, visit www.unilever.ca.
Information on Schmidt’s Naturals is available at https://schmidtsnaturals.com.
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