Atlantic Natural Foods Acquires Neat Foods

Atlantic Natural Foods (ANF) of Nashville, N.C., has concluded the acquisition of Neat Foods, LLC of Lancaster, Pa., to add to their family of shelf-stable protein-based healthy meat alternatives.

“At ANF, we believe that the addition of Neat helps us to create a true center-of-the-store shelf-stable category presence of healthy meat alternatives for present and future consumers,” says Kelly Krause, CEO of Atlantic Natural Foods. “Neat will join our current shelf-stable offerings; the iconic Loma Linda brand with over 100 years of history, as well as our Caroline’s brand which offers consumers the option of a Non-GMO Project Verified product. We continue to build upon the challenge of bringing great tasting, healthy, sustainable, portable meatless protein alternatives to the market.”

Neat offers 100 percent all-natural, gluten and soy-free shelf-stable vegetarian/vegan foods. The products are made primarily of pecans and garbanzos beans including neat spices to create Original, Italian, Mexican, and Breakfast meatless dishes and recently introduced the Neat Egg which is an all-natural vegan egg substitute to compliment the products and maintain the commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

Laura Lapp, co-founder of Neat Foods, who started the company in 2012 with her husband Phil says, “We are excited about the future with ANF as this allows us to broaden the reach to consumers searching for meatless options. Our daughters inspired us to develop a meat-alternative for vegetarians and now with ANF we will have support to see this dream become a reality.”

“But that’s not all, new products are already in the pipeline that will take full advantage of Laura and the two super creators, Morgan and Kaitlyn, working along with the ANF team to bring these to market,” adds Krause.

“Good synergies exist between the companies which will only enhance the future in the developing healthy living food space,” says AFT General Partner J. Douglas Hines. “Good People committed to the future is what really makes a difference and that is what we saw in the Lapps’. The commitment to investing in developing concepts and people—especially within tomorrow’s lifestyle market—is at the core of our strategies.”