Annie's Homegrown
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Organic products |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder |
Annie Withey Andrew Martin |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California |
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Key people
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Annie Withey |
| Products | Macaroni and cheese, salad dressing, crackers, fruit snacks, snack mix, frozen pizza, pretzels, graham crackers, barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup |
| Owner | General Mills |
| Website | www |
Annie Withey
Annie's Homegrown is a Berkeley, California-based maker of "natural" and organic pastas, meals and snacks owned by General Mills. The company was founded in Hampton, Connecticut by Annie Withey and Andrew Martin, who previously founded Smartfood popcorn along with Ken Martin. It is perhaps best known for its macaroni and cheese product line, which comes in shell form and bunny rabbit shapes, and is the second best selling macaroni and cheese in the United States. Their mascot is a rabbit named Bernie, who appears in the seal of approval called the "Rabbit of Approval". The company also produces Annie's Naturals, which consists of condiments, dressings, and barbecue sauces. In January 2012, Annie's introduced a line of certified organic rising crust frozen pizzas.
Annie Withey co-founded Annie's Homegrown with Andrew Martin in 1989. Initially, the company only sold "natural" macaroni and cheese, in New England supermarkets.
In 1995 Annie's completed a direct public offering 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, Kroger, and Safeway.
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 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.
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Wikipedia