PepsiCo is betting $1 billion on tortilla chips as a ‘healthier’ snack
On Tuesday, PepsiCo agreed to acquire grain-free Mexican-American brand Siete Foods for $1.2 billion, adding to its roster of healthier food and snack offerings, according to the Wall Street Journal. The billion-dollar bet comes amid growing consumer preferences for healthier food, snacks, and drinks like bottled water, seltzer, juices, and sports beverages. Siete Foods makes grain-free, high-quality tortilla chips, soft tortillas, and sauces. The purchase comes as PepsiCo focuses on offering snacks with lower sodium, saturated fat, and sugar. The Mexican-American staples add to PepsiCo’s already diverse food and drink portfolio, which includes Aquafina bottled water, Naked Juice, Tropicana fruit juices, and Gatorade. In addition, it sells Frito-Lay corn and potato chips and Quaker Oats granola bars. It also bought fruit-snack startup Bare Foods in 2018. According to an analysis from Seattle-based investment platform Kavout, the acquisition of Siete Foods “would significantly enhance PepsiCo’s portfolio by adding a range of health-oriented, culturally authentic products. . . . By integrating Siete Foods’s products, PepsiCo can tap into the growing demand for grain-free and gluten-free options, thereby expanding its market reach.” PepsiCo’s acquisition of Siete Foods comes at a time when its competitors are also consolidating, and companies are making big purchases to stay competitive. Late this summer, Mars, which makes M&M’s and Snickers, struck a nearly $30 billion deal to buy Cheez-Its and Pop-Tart owner Kellanova (formed when Kellogg Co. split three ways). As a result, Mars has expanded its reach even further with household brand names Eggo, Town House, MorningStar Farms, and Rice Krispies Treats all under its roof.
On Tuesday, PepsiCo agreed to acquire grain-free Mexican-American brand Siete Foods for $1.2 billion, adding to its roster of healthier food and snack offerings, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The billion-dollar bet comes amid growing consumer preferences for healthier food, snacks, and drinks like bottled water, seltzer, juices, and sports beverages.
Siete Foods makes grain-free, high-quality tortilla chips, soft tortillas, and sauces. The purchase comes as PepsiCo focuses on offering snacks with lower sodium, saturated fat, and sugar.
The Mexican-American staples add to PepsiCo’s already diverse food and drink portfolio, which includes Aquafina bottled water, Naked Juice, Tropicana fruit juices, and Gatorade. In addition, it sells Frito-Lay corn and potato chips and Quaker Oats granola bars. It also bought fruit-snack startup Bare Foods in 2018.
According to an analysis from Seattle-based investment platform Kavout, the acquisition of Siete Foods “would significantly enhance PepsiCo’s portfolio by adding a range of health-oriented, culturally authentic products. . . . By integrating Siete Foods’s products, PepsiCo can tap into the growing demand for grain-free and gluten-free options, thereby expanding its market reach.”
PepsiCo’s acquisition of Siete Foods comes at a time when its competitors are also consolidating, and companies are making big purchases to stay competitive.
Late this summer, Mars, which makes M&M’s and Snickers, struck a nearly $30 billion deal to buy Cheez-Its and Pop-Tart owner Kellanova (formed when Kellogg Co. split three ways). As a result, Mars has expanded its reach even further with household brand names Eggo, Town House, MorningStar Farms, and Rice Krispies Treats all under its roof.