Candy Kittens is aiming to get Graze growing again and back to its roots as a grocery disruptor brand following its acquisition from Unilever.
Ed Williams, Candy Kittens CEO and co-founder alongside Jamie Laing, told The Grocer he was excited to see what Graze could do once “unshackled” from corporate ownership.
Unilever agreed to sell Graze to German confectionery group – and Candy Kittens backer – Katjes International for an undisclosed sum (understood to be around £36m) after owning the business for just more than six years.
The moves more than trebles the size of Candy Kittens, which generated revenues of £15m in 2024, and brings about 200 new employees to the company, as well as a west London factory.
“We’ve been interested for a little while in building this idea of a Candy Kittens family,” Williams said. “We’ve learned an awful lot of tough lessons since founding the business in 2012.
“Like a lot of entrepreneurially minded people, we’re pretty impatient and want to get going quicker and start putting these lessons into action.”
Graze sale to Candy Kittens is a smart step for Unilever. What’s next?
Candy Kittens has already extended beyond the flagship vegan sweets brand, launching a ‘Candy Kittens introduces’ arm, bringing Katjes-owned Treets to the UK this year. Williams, Laing and Katjes also run Tuckshop London, an investment arm backing the likes of plastic-free chewing gum Nuud and, this year, helping YouTuber Niko Omilana launch the Shades By Niko sweets brand.
“Our third arm was always about M&A,” Williams added. “Trying to find something that would fit in with our portfolio and we could run ourselves and supercharge.”
Graze will extend Candy Kittens into savoury, better-for-you snacking for the first time. “Healthy snacking is a really key growth area, so it felt like a good time [to do a deal],” Williams said.
“The Graze brand is really strong and, probably in our minds, a bit unloved. [It’s that story of] a great brand being swallowed up by a big corporate and losing its shine and energy. It felt like a no-brainer.
“The big thing is the shackles are off and Graze can have fun again. We’re super ambitious. We back brands and we’re happy to take risks.”
A digital refresh will form the backbone of the strategy once the Graze deal completes in the first half of 2026.
“One thing Graze lacks is a really strong digital presence,” Williams said. “It’s something we’re very good at.
“We want that digital heart back into the brand, whether or not that means bringing some DTC back to life, I’m not sure yet. It is something we’ve been quite good at traditionally. Unilever did the right thing by moving it to grocery – and that also fits our strategy.
“But DTC can be done if you do it well – you just need to complement it in the right way.”
No comments yet