Unilever to acquire SmartyPants Vitamins

Michelle Dryden November 26, 2020Comments Off

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Unilever announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire SmartyPants Vitamins, a U.S.-based Vitamin, Mineral & Supplement company.

Based in Los Angeles, SmartyPants Vitamins was founded in 2011 by entrepreneurs Courtney Nichols Gould and Gordon Gould, who set out to create a comprehensive supplement made from premium ingredients to support the wellbeing needs of children and adults.

SmartyPants Vitamins has a simple yet powerful promise: to be smart, simple and true. SmartyPants works with non-GMO certified ingredients and a range of sustainably sourced bio-available nutrients. Their product range is free from synthetic colors, artificial flavors, sweeteners and preservatives.

Peter Ter Kulve, President of Health & Wellbeing at Unilever, said: “SmartyPants Vitamins complements Unilever’s portfolio of brands (Horlicks, OLLY, Equilibra and Liquid I.V) in the functional nutrition and supplement segment. We are excited to work with co-founders Courtney and Gordon and their team to grow their innovative and data driven business model.”

Rooted in the belief that good health should be made accessible to everybody, SmartyPants Vitamins has a long-standing partnership with non-profit organization, Vitamin Angels, to provide life-changing vitamins for mothers, expectant mothers, and children in need worldwide.

Fabian Garcia, President of Unilever North America, said: “We are delighted to welcome SmartyPants Vitamins to the Unilever family and our portfolio of purpose-led brands. SmartyPants Vitamins aligns strongly with our mission to improve the health and wellbeing of consumers and empower people to take charge of their health with solutions they can understand and trust.”

Courtney Nichols Gould & Gordon Gould, Co-founders and Co-CEO’s of SmartyPants Vitamins, said: “From the start, SmartyPants Vitamins has been about family, authenticity and a core commitment to our collective well-being. We are excited to work with Unilever to grow the SmartyPants brand.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

For more information on Unilever North America and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com

About SmartyPants Vitamins

Since 2011, SmartyPants has led the supplement industry in designing and manufacturing comprehensive, multifunctional supplements in a variety of easy-to-take formats for the whole family. Scientifically-formulated, made with premium, responsibly-sourced ingredients and delightful to take, their products are made in North America are free of any synthetic colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives, and are third-party lab tested. In partnership with Vitamin Angels, SmartyPants Vitamins has reached over 14 million mothers and children worldwide with nutrient grants, with a goal of reaching 100 million by 2025. SmartyPants Vitamins can be found in more than 30,000 stores across the country including the world’s leading specialty, club and online retailers including: Amazon, Costco, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, and many more. For more information, please visit https://www.smartypantsvitamins.com/

About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond’s, Popsicle, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington’s, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company’s strategy and commits to:

• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.

• Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.

• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. The company’s sustainable living brands delivered 78% of total growth and 75% of turnover in 2019.

Since 2010 we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – in 2019 committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognised in 2019 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and in 2020 – for the tenth-consecutive year – as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey.