Swiss multinational Hero Group has expanded its UK portfolio with the acquisition of The Gut Stuff for an undisclosed sum.
Founded by twins Lisa and Alana Macfarlane in 2017, the gut health brand supplies a range of high-fibre soft drinks and snack bars, which are listed by Tesco, Ocado and Boots.
The deal follows the takeover of Deliciously Ella by Hero in late 2024.
“The acquisition of The Gut Stuff is a fantastic opportunity for us to grow as a group and play in a small but growing trend in better snacking around gut health and fibre,” said CEO Christian Schierbaum.
The Macfarlanes will continue to run the brand under Hero’s ownership, with all employees transferring across.
“As founders, during the tough early days, you always dream of finding a home for what you’ve built,” the Scottish twins said in a joint statement.
“As soon as we met the team at Hero, we knew it was the place. Being within Hero gives us the engine and resources to drive at breakneck speed to deliver all the ambitions we have for the company.”
The twins appeared on TV in 2023 as presenters for the Channel 4 series ‘Know Your Sh!t’. The Gut Stuff business has also published a cookbook and operates a gut health app via subscription and a podcast.
Hero chief strategy officer Mita Sen added: “This is the perfect combination of a brand with strong positioning and connection to consumers coupled with Hero’s experience and know-how in developing high-quality snacks.
“Putting these capabilities together will result in faster growth and more impact with customers and consumers.”
Hero has annual revenues of around £1.1bn and trades across snacking, spreads and babyfood, with brands such as Corny, Beech-Nut, Schwartau, Semper, Freche Freunde, Organix and Deliciously Ella.
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