Mars acquires Kevin’s Natural Foods

Mars acquires Kevin’s Natural Foods, a meal company.

Kevin’s makes chef-inspired sous-vide meals, sides, and sauces using whole foods and simple ingredients. It has enjoyed double-digit growth since it was founded in 2019 and is now available across 17,000 retail locations.

Kevin’s Natural Foods will operate as a standalone business within Mars Food & Nutrition, reporting to its president, Shaid Shah.

“We are excited to welcome Kevin’s Natural Foods to the Mars Food & Nutrition family of businesses. We have been hugely inspired by Kevin’s, a business whose mission fits squarely with our purpose: Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow. Kevin’s products are of a very high quality, nutritious, and convenient, without compromising on flavor, and are enjoyed by an engaged and loyal customer base across North America. The Kevin’s Natural Foods team has delivered impressive growth since it was founded four years ago, and we look forward to drawing on our experience of nurturing and scaling founder-led brands to help bring their products to even more people,” said Shah.

Co-founded by Dan Costa, Kelsie Costa-Olson, and Kevin McCray, Kevin’s Natural Foods was born out of Kevin’s desire to be healthier himself, as well as to help other people eat well. Founded in 2019, the company is headquartered in Modesto, Calif., and has approximately 180 employees, with products currently sold in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Mexico.

“Mars Food & Nutrition shares our vision and passion for the role food plays in people’s lives. We founded Kevin’s with the mission to empower even the busiest people to eat nutritious, great tasting meals in minutes. Joining the Mars Food & Nutrition portfolio of brands will allow us to accelerate the development of more product innovations and support our mission of bringing Kevin’s to more consumers across markets,” said McCray, president and co-founder of Kevin’s Natural Foods.

“As a standalone business within Mars Food & Nutrition, we’ll be able to maintain the entrepreneurial spirit and authenticity of our brand while getting the support and capabilities to continue our long-term growth journey. It’s a tremendous milestone for Kevin’s Natural Foods and our team, and we’re excited for what’s ahead,” added Dan Costa, CEO, Kevin’s.

This acquisition includes an exit of Kevin’s minority partners, TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P., an international investment management firm, and NewRoad Capital Partners.