Brookside Foods sold to U.S. chocolate company

Abbotsford, B.C. – Brookside Foods Ltd. has been acquired by Hershey, Pa.-based The Hershey Company.

The privately held, Abbotsford-based company produces chocolate confectionery products including chocolate-covered nuts and dried fruit, as well as products using a unique formula for making chocolate-covered fruit juice pieces.

Brookside products are produced in facilities in B.C. and Quebec, and are sold throughout Canada and the U.S.

According to Hershey, the acquisition is an opportunity to expand further into the category. “Brookside pairs dark chocolate with exotic fruit-juice centres, such as goji, acai, blueberry and pomegranate, to create great-tasting treats, while delivering the benefits of flavanols and antioxidants,” says John P. Bilbrey, president and CEO of The Hershey Company. “We look forward to building Brookside by leveraging Hershey’s scale at retail.”