LEAF Brands Eyes Purchase of Nestle US Confectionery UnitLEAF Brands Eyes Purchase of Nestle US Confectionery Unit

Newport Beach, CA-based sweets maker LEAF Brands LLC plans to offer a bid to purchase Nestle SA’s U.S. confectionery business, a move that could place the producer of legacy candy brands in competition with larger firms like Hershey and Mars Inc.

“We’re obviously the small guy, but we’re the value-added guy,” the firm’s chief executive officer, Ellia Kassoff, told the Orange County Business Journal.

LEAF owns two former Nestle confectionery brands, Tart n’ Tinys and Wacky Wafers, and produces a number of other vintage brands of sweets. Kassoff said the Nestle unit would benefit from the California firm’s distribution capabilities and candy industry expertise.

“We spent many years rolling the products back to their original (and successful) designs after many failed versions by Nestle, and during that period we’ve had the opportunity to interact with many current and past Nestle confectionery employees, which has helped us to understand their business,” said Kassoff in a statement published by CandyIndustry.com.   

In June, Powder & Bulk Solids reported that Nestle SA was considering a sale of its U.S. confectionery business amid a slump in sales.

Founded in Chicago in the 1920s, LEAF Brands has created American candy classics like Jolly Ranchers, Milk Duds, and Whoppers.

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