The Kraft Heinz Company has completed the sale of certain assets in its global cheese business and the license of certain trademarks to an affiliate of Groupe Lactalis for total consideration of approximately $3.3 billion. The transaction involves the divestiture of Kraft Heinz’s natural, grated, cultured and specialty cheese businesses in the U.S., its grated cheese business in Canada, and its grated, processed and natural cheese businesses outside the U.S. and Canada. 

This divestiture includes the company’s global intellectual property rights to several brands, including, among others, Cracker Barrel, Breakstone’s, Knudsen, Athenos, Polly-O, and Hoffman’s, as well as the Cheez Whiz brand in the majority of countries outside the U.S. and Canada. The transaction also includes perpetual licenses for the Kraft and Velveeta brands that the company will grant to Groupe Lactalis for certain cheese products.

Kraft Heinz will retain its KraftSingles, Velveeta processed cheese, and Cheez Whiz processed cheese businesses in the U.S. and Canada and its Kraft, Velveeta, and Cracker Barrel macaroni and cheese, Kraft sauces, and cream cheese, including Philadelphia cream cheese, businesses worldwide.

“The sale of our natural cheese portfolio is another milestone in our rapid transformation,” said Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio. “The divestiture is a great example of our agile portfolio management, and we believe it will help Kraft Heinz enhance our overall growth profile, our strategic focus and financial flexibility.”

ABOUT THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY

We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company, inspired by our purpose, Let's Make Life Delicious. Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2020 net sales of approximately $26 billion, we are committed to growing our iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft Heinz across a portfolio of six consumer-driven product platforms. As global citizens, we're dedicated to making a sustainable, ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible ways.