Hearthside Food in Downers Grove buys energy bar company

Hearthside Food Solutions in Downers Grove signed an agreement to buy Standard Functional Foods Group, a unit of privately held Standard Candy Company.

Standard Functional is a manufacturer of nutritional and functional bars located in Nashville, Tennessee.

The acquisition will further enhance Hearthside's entry into the functional bar category, enabling the company to meet the growing demand for a widening array of bars in the U.S. The purchase will bring the Hearthside network to a total of 24 production facilities. Terms were not disclosed.

"In addition to new network capacity, geographic reach and production capabilities, SFFG brings leadership in R&D with their ability to design, formulate and commercialize the increasingly complex nutrition and energy bars customers are demanding," said Rich Scalise, Hearthside Chairman and CEO.

Standard Candy began as a regional confectioner in 1901, and expanded into functional bars in 1999 through Standard Functional Foods, which currently serves as a contract manufacturer to many of the largest food companies and brands.

"SFFG is a high-quality organization with an excellent quality and safety record. This will enable the Nashville operations to seamlessly and swiftly integrate into our world-class culture," said Dwayne Hughes, Hearthside SVP of supply chain.

Standard Candy will retain its famous Goo-Goo Clusters, which will continue to be made in Nashville and sold at the Goo-Goo Shop retail store in downtown Nashville.

About Hearthside Food Solutions

Hearthside Food Solutions is a large independent bakery and a full-service contract manufacturer of high-quality snack food products and packaging for some of the world's premier brands. Hearthside currently operates 23 food-manufacturing facilities, including three in Europe. In 2014, Hearthside was acquired by the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs and Vestar Capital Partners.