The new buyer of Somerset County snack maker ‘Snyder of Berlin’ announced recently that although the company has been sold again, jobs at the potato chip plant will remain. Not so long ago, an announcement was made that Snyder’s parent company, ‘Utz Brands Inc.’, is selling to ‘Our Home’ the Berlin plant and another site in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

About 168 people work at the Berlin and Massachusetts operations combined, according to Kevin Brick, senior vice president of marketing at Utz. Following the completion of the transaction, they will join the ranks of ‘Our Home’, a developing snack company based in New Jersey that is well-known for its ‘Popchips’ and ‘Food Should Taste Good’ brands.

“These acquisitions expand ‘Our Home’ across potato chips, cheese puffs, and popcorn, reinforcing our position as a leading independent better-for-you snacking platform,” said Aaron Greenwald, founder and CEO of ‘Our Home’.

Following the closing of the transactions, ‘Utz’ and ‘Our Home’ will operate under a Transition Services Agreement for up to 12 months. The total consideration for the transactions is USD18.5m, subject to customary adjustments, and the transactions are expected to close on April 22, 2024.

“This transaction will allow us to focus on the next phase of our optimization efforts as we invest in our remaining facilities and continue to deliver on our value creation initiatives,” ‘Utz’ CEO, Howard Friedman, said.

‘Utz’ will now run eight major production plants instead of sixteen in 2021, and it will use USD9m of its earnings to settle debt.

Products from ‘Snyder of Berlin’, including popcorn, potato chips, and kettle chips, can be found at western Pennsylvanian supermarkets and convenience stores.

The company was purchased by frozen foods giant ‘Pinnacle Foods’ a decade ago, and in 2018, ‘Pinnacle Foods’ – ‘Snyder of Berlin’ included – was acquired by food conglomerate ‘Conagra Brands’. ‘Snyder of Berlin’ was sold to ‘Utz’ a year later.