VEVEY, SWITZERLAND — Nestle Health Science, a business unit of Nestle SA, has completed its acquisition of Vital Proteins, a Chicago-based manufacturer of collagen-based foods, beverages and supplements. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Nestle first acquired a majority stake in Vital Proteins in June 2020, and over the past two years Vital Proteins has shown “incredible growth,” said Greg Behar, chief executive officer of Nestle Health Science.
“We have worked to expand the brand geographically, scale up R&D and innovate on new products,” Mr. Behar said. “More people around the world are becoming aware of how collagen can be incorporated into their wellness journeys.”
As part of the completion of the acquisition Tracey Halama has been named CEO of Vital Proteins. She succeeds Kurt Seidensticker, founder of Vital Proteins, who is stepping aside.
“Kurt and his team have done an amazing job building Vital Proteins,” Mr. Behar said. “It was Kurt’s vision that made it possible, and I look forward to working with him as a Nestle Health Science adviser.”
Ms. Halama most recently was president of Vital Proteins since March 2021, and earlier was chief revenue officer and senior vice president of sales at the company. She also has held sales and account management positions at IBM, Box, Nirvanix, CommVault, Dell EMC and Borland Software.
“Vital Proteins’ new CEO, Tracey Halama, has been an invaluable asset to the business over the past eight years,” Mr. Behar said. “Under her leadership, we will see even further growth.”
The announcement comes just a few weeks after Nestle Health Science agreed to acquire a majority stake in Orgain, Irvine, Calif., a plant-based nutrition company that manufactures and markets powders, ready-to-drink beverages and nutrition bars. In May 2021, the unit acquired Nuun, a maker of low-sugar electrolyte tablets that dissolve in water. In April 2021, the business acquired supplement company The Bountiful Co. for $5.75 billion.