Annie's Homegrown (or simply Annie's) is an American organic food company owned by

General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...

. The company was founded in

Hampton, Connecticut Hampton is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,728 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, is land and (1.96%) is water. Histo ...

Annie Withey Annie Withey (born 1963 or 1964) is an American farmer and entrepreneur. Withey developed Smartfood in 1984 and Annie's Homegrown in 1989, both with her husband at the time, Andrew Martin. Withey graduated from the University of Connecticut in 198 ...

and Andrew Martin, who had previously founded

Smartfood Smartfood is an American brand of prepopped, flavored popcorn that is made by the Frito-Lay company. History Smartfood was first created in 1985 by Andrew Martin - chairman and CEO, Ken Meyers- VP of operations, and Martin's wife Annie Withe ...

popcorn along with Ken Meyers. It is best known for its

macaroni and cheese Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom BBC, RecipesMacaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce, most commonly Cheddar sauce. The ...

product line, which comes in shell form and bunny rabbit shapes, and is the second best selling macaroni and cheese in the United States behind Kraft. Their mascot is a rabbit named Bernie, who appears in the seal of approval called the "Rabbit of Approval" and another slogan called "Bunny of Approval" in 2020. The company also produces Annie's Naturals, which consists of

condiments A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

, dressings, and barbecue sauces.

History

Annie Withey co-founded Annie's Homegrown with Andrew Martin in 1989. Initially, the company only sold "natural" macaroni and cheese in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

supermarkets. In 1995, Annie's completed a

direct public offering A direct public offering (DPO) or direct listing is a method by which a company can offer an investment opportunity directly to the public. Description A DPO is similar to an initial public offering (IPO) in that securities, such as stock or debt ...

that raised $1.3 million. In 1999, John Foraker, an owner of Homegrown Natural Foods, which made flavored olive oils and mustards, and his company invested $2 million in Annie's. An agreement was reached that would buy out Withey and Martin's shares in the company and make Annie's a private company. Withey became Annie's "inspirational president", and the company began distributing its products to chains like

Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation (Trade name, doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only Big-box store, big-box retail stores (warehouse c ...

Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinci ...

, and

Safeway Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, d ...

. In 2002, Solera Capital became the majority investor in the company with $23 million. They also added Foraker's company Homegrown Naturals (including brands Consorzio and Fantastic Foods) to the business and moved Annie's headquarters from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to Napa, California, in 2004. Later in 2011, Annie's headquarters relocated from Napa to Berkeley, California. In 2005, the company bought out Annie's Naturals, a (sometimes) organic salad dressing and condiment company founded by Annie Christopher of North Calais, Vermont. The majority of Annie's stock was owned by Solera Capital, LLC. In December 2011, Annie's filed with the SEC to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering. In January 2012, Annie's announced the introduction of a certified organic rising crust frozen pizza line. Annie's certified organic

pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

line is exclusive to

Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market IP, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon, is an upscale American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A US ...

. On April 3, 2014, Annie's opened their first bakery manufacturing plant, purchased from Safeway Inc. for $7.4 million and located in

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

acquired Annie's on September 8, 2014, for $820 million.General Mills buys Annie's for $820 million
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References

External links

* {{General Mills Organic farming organizations Food manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Berkeley, California 1989 establishments in Connecticut Food and drink companies established in 1989 Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area Food and drink companies based in California General Mills brands 2014 mergers and acquisitions

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links