Olam International is to acquire a 100% interest in Californian almond processor and ingredient manufacturer Hughson Nut (HNI) and associated real estate assets from APB Partners (APB) at a total enterprise value of US$54.0 million.

Olam says the acquisition will enable it to offer a fully integrated solution across the almond value chain from the US, including processed whole nuts and value added ingredients, complementing similar capabilities in Australia and Vietnam.

HNI is said to rank among the top five almond processors in California. Besides its two primary processing facilities, HNI also manufactures almond ingredients, such as sliced and diced almonds and almond flour in its newly commissioned ingredients processing plant, which also houses steam sterilisation and pasteurisation facilities. 

Backed by three almond grower-family shareholders of APB, HNI has built a customer franchise in the U.S. and a growing customer base in the EU, Japan and Korea, which includes branded food manufacturers, retailers and exporters. 

The acquisition of HNI is said to be consistent with Olam’s Strategic Plan to offer differentiated solutions, such as ingredients and product innovation, and to target new customer segments in co-manufacturing, food service and e-commerce. 

Olam’s Managing Director and CEO of Edible Nuts, Ashok Krishen said: “Our ambition is to grow Olam’s almond business into a vertically integrated player with a strong upstream presence in Australia and the U.S. and direct participation in the primary and ingredient processing space that can add value to our customers. We see growing demand from consumers for healthy snacks and healthy plant protein – this is driving growth in new product applications and therefore the demand for almond ingredients, particularly in the U.S. Combining HNI’s processing capabilities with Olam’s global network and Edible Nuts expertise will enhance our offering to customers and enable us to meet growing demand, in and outside the U.S.”

Post Olam’s acquisition, HNI’s senior executive team and its 400 employees will continue to manage the existing operations and grow the ingredients business while leveraging and benefitting from the synergies and capabilities of the combined business. The grower-family vendors will also continue to supply HNI with almonds for processing.

The transaction is expected to be completed in November 2019. It is also expected to be earnings and returns accretive from the first year after consolidation.

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