CHA CHING
British food brand sold to Swiss firm – and founder is set to make a tasty profit
It's not the only British brand to be sold to an international firm
FOOD writer Ella Mills has bagged a multi-million pound windfall after her firm Deliciously Ella was sold to Swiss manufacturer Hero Group.
Blogger Ella, 33, founded the food company which makes healthy snacks found in most supermarkets, and also has an app with more than 2,000 recipes for subscribers.
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The sale took place for an undisclosed sum but it's thought to have been worth millions of pounds for Ella and husband Matthew, who is chief executive and joint founder of the brand.
The couple will remain with Deliciously Ella to help lead the next stage of growth, Hero said in a statement.
Ella and Matthew will keep ownership of the Plants brand, which has its own food range - plus the Plants by Deliciously Ella, restaurant in London.
In a joint statement, the couple said: “We are both incredibly excited to partner with the Hero Group. What started as a small recipe website and a cookbook has become something bigger than either of us could have imagined.
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“We have had numerous approaches to sell or partner with other food companies over the years, but only this one felt right. As a family-owned business, with a long-term view that aligns with our thinking, Hero Group are the right fit for us.
“Hero has brands all over the world and a proven track record in helping brands reach much greater scale. This is a transformational moment in bringing our natural, plant-based ranges to more people, both in the UK and abroad.”
Hero also owns the Organix brand, which focuses on organic foods and snacks for babies, toddlers and kids.
Ella is daughter of supermarket heiress Camilla Sainsbury and former minister Shaun Woodward.
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And her husband Matthew is the son of late politician Tessa Jowell.
The pair got hitched in April 2016.
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Ella started a food blog in 2012 and her following quickly increased.
She capitalised by publishing a number of recipe books, restaurants in London followed.
BRITISH FOOD BRANDS FOR SALE
It is not the first time a British brand has been sold to a foreign company. In 2010, Cadbury was bought by Mondelez International, part of US company Kraft, for a whopping £11.5bn.
In 2015, chocolate lovers slammed Mondelez International for secretly changing the recipe of Cadbury’s Creme Egg.
And in 2017, chocolate lovers accused the company of altering the taste of Mini Eggs.
Weetabix is another food firm founded in Britain that has fallen into foreign ownership. The cereal was first bought by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst private equity group in 2003, then later sold to US company Post Holdings in a deal worth £1.4bn in 2017.
The sale also included Alpen, Ready Brek, and Weetos.
Back in 2012, Branston Pickle was sold to Japanese company Mizkan for £92.5m. The sale included the firm's factory at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.
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In 2013, Lucozade and Ribena drinks brands were sold by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to Japanese firm Suntory for £1.35bn.
And Kit-Kat, Smarties and Rolos were lost from British ownership when Rowntrees was sold to swiss firm Nestle in 1988.
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds.
"Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
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