
Ferrero Group announced Friday that it has signed an agreement to acquire protein snack brand Power Crunch from Bio-Nutritional Research Group Inc.
Ferrero officials said that Power Crunch, originally founded in 1996, has seen strong recent growth driven by a portfolio of popular snacks, including a variety of wafer bars as well as its high-protein crisps launched last year.
Ferrero North America
As part of the transaction, Ferrero will take over an office site in Irvine, California, with approximately 50 employees joining the Ferrero Group in North America.
"Power Crunch joining Ferrero is an amazing opportunity," said Kevin Lawrence, Power Crunch's founder and CEO. "The company's commitment to quality and ambitions in the better-for-you snacks category will help bring Power Crunch to more consumers than ever before."
The planned acquisition supports Ferrero's expansion in the "better-for-you" product category, following the acquisitions of FULFIL and Eat Natural in Europe. It also is the latest in a series of acquisitions growing Ferrero's U.S. footprint following the integration of chocolate brands Butterfinger, Baby Ruth and Crunch and cookie brands Keebler, Famous Amos and Mother's. Iowa-based ice cream company Wells Enterprises joined Ferrero in 2022.
The proposed transaction is expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to customary closing conditions.