After halting acquisition talks last month, kefir maker Lifeway Foods and Danone North America are back in good standing after entering a cooperation agreement, which will include an “orderly refreshment” of Lifeway’s board of directors.
For Danone’s long-running courtship of kefir category leader Lifeway, the third time isn’t the charm. The French dairy giant has withdrawn its interest in purchasing the kefir category leader.
This week’s new beverage products include launches from Mr. Beast’s Feastables brand, Cure Hydration, Nurri, Rockaway Soda, Hanks for Our Troops, Pop & Bottle and more.
Lifeway Foods cited strong volume growth of its drinkable kefir and farmer cheese as the primary driver of record sales in the second quarter of 2025.
The clock is ticking on a potential acquisition by Danone of kefir category leader Lifeway, as the French dairy giant is pressuring company leadership to again discuss a deal that has already been attempted twice in the past year.
The coffee giant announced last week the arrival of Sol-ti’s refrigerated wellness shots in 2.1 oz. glass bottles, a move that brings the SoCal-based organic beverage brand into over 10,000 locations nationwide.
Leading U.S. kefir brand Lifeway Foods had its 22nd consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth, with net sales up 3.3% to $46.1 million, in its Q1 2025 earnings report this morning. The net sales growth was fueled primarily by volume improvement for Lifeway’s line of branded drinkable kefirs and its farmer’s cheese.
In this week’s new products roundup, C4 grows its partnership with Jolly Rancher, Zing Zang jumps on the pickle-flavored bandwagon and Lifeway celebrates spring with a Cherry Blossom-inspired kefir.
Harris Teeter stores across the country will soon have some “bugs” crawling onto shelves: Leading U.S. kefir brand Lifeway Foods is launching its kid-friendly ProBugs Organic Kefir line into over 250 of the retailer’s stores.
Danone SA is making a move to acquire leading kefir manufacturer Lifeway Foods, offering $283 million, or $25 per share, for the publicly traded company, according to a Schedule 13D form filed yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
In January 2022, having bounced back from a period of major revenue declines and operating losses, leading U.S. kefir manufacturer Lifeway Foods announced a new phase for the decades-old brand dubbed “Lifeway 3.0” with a focus on growth and scaling.
As the company plans for significant scaling over the next several years, Liquid Death has hired former Marisa Bertha as Senior Vice President of Strategy to help chart the path forward; California-based alkaline water brand Eternal Water announced this week that it has tripled its sales force with more than 30 new hires; Lifeway Foods has announced its slate of director nominees.
In 2018, fermented dairy brand Lifeway announced the beginning of “Lifeway 2.0,” a strategic revitalization plan to invigorate growth and expand the brand internationally. Now, speaking today at the virtual 2022 ICR Conference, CEO Julie Smolyansky said the goals of the plan have been achieved and the company is now beginning a new phase: “Lifeway 3.0.”
Having long been interested in an acquisition, kefir company Lifeway Foods announced it has reached an agreement to purchase California-based GlenOaks Farms Inc. Lifeway CEO Julie Smolyansky said the move comes after the company proved its resilience in the face of the pandemic while also aligning with the strategy for Lifeway’s 2.0 growth plan. Lifeway is expected to purchase the company for $5.8 million in cash by the end of August 2021.
