Unilever Buys Sir Kensington’s, Maker of Fancy Ketchup -
By STEPHANIE STROMAPRIL 20, 2017
Unilever, the giant food and consumer product company, is buying Sir Kensington’s, a small condiment maker
that has muscled its way on to grocery store shelves long thought impervious to disruption.
“Smaller food companies have a challenge when it comes to customer access, plain
and simple,” said Scott Norton, who founded Sir Kensington’s seven years ago with a college friend, Mark Ramadan.
Last month at Expo West, the big natural and organic food show, for instance, several companies debuted vegan
mayonnaises or mayonnaises flavored with avocado oil, products Sir Kensington’s had in its lineup earlier.
Since Sir Kensington’s breakout success, other start-up food companies have decided that condiments are ripe for new products.
In the intervening months, Unilever has announced that it is selling its spread business, which includes brands like Country Crock
and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, as well as some baking lines, leading some to speculate that it might get out of food sales altogether.