Bel Group Adds Brainiac, Little Brainiac Brands to Portfolio

Bel Group has announced the acquisition of the Brainiac and Little Brainiac brands from Ingenuity Foods, according to a release from the maker of dairy, fruit and veggie snacks.

Adding Brainiac and Little Brainiac expands Bel’s portfolio in portable, better-for-you, portion-sized snack category. It furthers the company’s position in the fruit snack category, and Bel said that the acquisition is particularly complementary to the GoGo Squeez line of products.

The former Ingenuity Foods brands join a portfolio that also includes such brands as Babybel, Boursin and The Laughing Cow. Brainiac snacks target kids and families looking for products that support brain-building attributes, and they registered net sales that grew triple digits last year, the company noted.

Ingenuity Foods will continue to operate under current leadership, the company said. The deal represents the latest move my Bel Group in its ongoing investment and expansion efforts in the U.S. The company recently broke ground on a $200 million expansion of its Brookings, S.D., plant and also recently invested $10 million to expand its Little Chute, Wis., facility as well.