The Hain Celestial Group has bought Empire Kosher Poultry, the largest kosher poultry producer in the United States.
Hain Celestial, one of the country’s largest sellers of natural and organic foods, had owned roughly 20 percent of EK Holdings, Empire’s parent corporation, before announcing on March 4 that it had purchased the remaining 80 percent for a reported $57.5 million.
Empire’s products are available at chains such as Trader Joe’s, Safeway and Costco, and at Whole Foods Markets under the Kosher Valley brand, according to Wikipedia. Kosher Valley is the first brand of poultry that is certified kosher, antibiotic free, vegetarian fed and humanely raised.
“Empire expands our farm-to-table product offerings,” Irwin Simon, the president and CEO of Hain Celestial, said in a news release. “We plan to expand the product offerings into deli, fresh prepared foods and other grocery categories.”
Industry experts say that the acquisition will lead to a total rebranding of Empire, which has faced stiff competition from strictly kosher brands catering to the Orthodox market.
In the early 2000s, insiders say, Empire lost nearly $100 million and was able to stay afloat thanks in large part to its biggest customer, Alle Processing/Meal Mart. However, in the past five years, the company has managed to hold its own, reportedly generating more than $100 million in net sales in 2014.
Now based in Mifflintown, Pennsyl-vania, Empire was founded by Joseph Katz in the Catskills in 1938 and continued by son Murray until being sold in 1992. Hain Celestial has more than 2,000 products that are kosher certified among an expansive portfolio of natural and organic products. — jta & koshertoday.com