UK crisp manufacturer Tayto Group has made another acquisition in the country’s snacks sector, snapping up the start-up enterprise Bite UK for an undisclosed sum.
Bite was founded in 2015 by Jason Bull and makes healthy snacking products in the free-from category under the Pure Bite brand, which features rice and nut clusters. The company is based in Yorkshire and was a subsidiary of ingredients supplier Eurostar Commodities.
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By GlobalDataThe deal, which will see Bite trade under the new name Bite UK Snacks Ltd., was announced in a statement today (11 February), and will see Bull stay on as managing director.
Pure Bite joins the Tayto brands Golden Wonder, Real Crisps, Mr Porky and Portlebay popcorn in the UK healthy snacks market, which today’s statement put at being worth around GBP200m (US$257.2m).
Family-owned Tayto snapped up The Real Pork Crackling Company, which owns the Golden Pork Crunch pork crackling brand, last year after earlier reaching a deal for Northern Ireland-based Pop Notch. It also bought Portlebay popcorn in 2017 along with London-based crisp maker Tavern Snacks.
Tayto now acclaims to be the largest British-owned crisps and snacks manufacturer.
Bull commented on the buy-out by Tayto: “Expect to see Pure Bite everywhere in 2019. The support that the Tayto Group can provide is unprecedented. The potential for growth is huge and their expertise will help us to take healthy snacking into the mainstream and deliver our vision of being the UK’s leading supplier of healthy snacks.”
“Exciting” new product developments are also in the pipeline, he added. Bite’s existing range covers snacks in dairy- and gluten-free, vegan, preservative free, high fibre, high protein, low salt, low sugar and snacks low in calories. The Pure Bite brand is exported to the Middle East, Ireland, Iceland and Europe.
John McQuaid, Tayto’s sales director, added: “We value healthy snacking and recognise that consumers demand healthy snacks without compromising on flavour. I am impressed with the outstanding health and taste credentials that Pure Bite provides and the ability to deliver both propositions at a competitive price to retailers and trade sets the Pure Bite brand apart from other competitors.”
