M&A

McClain’s Old Florida Gourmet set to double sales upon Nassau Candy acquisition

By Douglas Yu

- Last updated on GMT

McClain's Old Florida Gourmet carries various Florida-made confectionery brands.  Photo: McClain's Old Florida Gourmet
McClain's Old Florida Gourmet carries various Florida-made confectionery brands. Photo: McClain's Old Florida Gourmet

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Specialty confectioner, Nassau Candy Distributors, has announced it will combine McClain’s Old Florida Gourmet with its own distribution division, Nassau Candy South.

Once the transaction is complete on July 27, 2017, owners of the distribution company, Kelly Abercrombie and Taylor McClain Mock, will be account managers and report directly to Nassau Candy.

Abercrombie said McClain’s has a 13,000-square-foot warehouse in Sarasota, Florida, that houses its products. Those products will also be moved to Nassau Candy South’s facility in Riviera Beach, Florida next week.

However, Citra Products of Florida, which produces kitchen utensils for eating fruit and is also owned by Abercrombie and Mock, is not included in the McClain’s transaction.

‘Synergistic combination’

“We consider this a synergistic combination,”​ Abercrombie said. “McClain’s had grown to the point where we had to make a decision about significantly expanding logistics, technology, and geographic penetration, which Nassau Candy already has.”

“The transaction also provides our customers with a larger number of products and short-run private label customization, and they still will be able to hand pick their order and buy less than case quantities,”​ she added.

The candy and chocolate confectionery portfolio currently represents 50% of McClain’s overall sales, and the other half the business comes from specialty food items produced within the state, Abercrombie told ConfectioneryNews.

The company carries national candy brands, including Jelly Belly, as well as local products such as Anastasia Confections, and it services the Florida Aquarium, airports within the state, Miami Zoo, gift shops and other channels where tourists purchase candies, Abercrombie said.

McClain’s has experienced 10% year-over-year growth in sales since it started in 2008, and it hopes to double its business and targets 40% to 50% growth rate by the end of 2017. 

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