Nestle buys Nuun as it continues to boost its nutritional portfolio

Bars of original KitKat chocolate, produced by Nestle SA, and without the "Fairtrade" logo sit arranged for a photograph in London, U.K., on Monday, Dec.7, 2009. Nestle SA, the world's biggest food company, will start certifying some KitKat bars in the U.K. and Ireland as Fairtrade, following Cadbury Plc, which started producing mass-market Fairtrade chocolate this year. Photographer: Jason Adlen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Nestle’s Health Science division has bought US nutritional products maker Nuun as it continues to build its portfolio of health and nutrition products.

Founded in Washington, Seattle in 2004, Nuun is considered a pioneer in the separation of electrolyte replacement from carbohydrates. Its core product is a low-sugar electrolyte tablet for the sports beverage market and its portfolio has expanded into a range of effervescent tablets and powders containing additional minerals and vitamins for energy, relaxation and overall well-being.

Nuun is the top-selling sports drink supplement brand in running, cycling, outdoor and natural foods stores in the US.

This is Nestle Health Science’s second such acquisition in less than a month, following the significantly larger-scale purchase of The Bountiful Company’s core brands including Nature’s Bounty, Solgar, Osteo Bi-Flex and Puritan’s Pride. With more than 7000 employees worldwide, Nestle Health Science is a global business unit of Nestle with products distributed in more than 140 countries.

Nestle Health Science CEO Greg Baher described Nuun as a leader in the fast-growing functional hydration category with quality, clean, plant-based products.

“Everyday, health-conscious consumers are becoming more aware of how functional hydration products can add to their overall well being as well as support them during exercise by replacing the minerals that the body loses. That growing awareness is reflected in the steady growth of the category,” he said.

Nuun CEO Kevin Rutherford said his company and Nestle shared the philosophy that nothing is more important than health and well-being.

“In joining Nestle Health Science, Nuun will further its mission of ‘hydration that empowers the world to move more.’ The Nuun team has built an incredible business and now with the reach, expertise and capabilities of Nestle, I’m confident that together we will grow even more.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the sale will be settled in the third quarter of this year, shortly after the Bountiful Company’s deal.