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Watkins Completes Acquisition of Sauer Brands' Spice Business, Adding Kernel Season's, Spice Hunter and Sauer's

Watkins in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Watkins Completes Acquisition of Sauer Brands' Spice Business, Adding Kernel Season's, Spice Hunter and Sauer's

Press Release | 10/2/2026

WINONA, Minn. â€" October 2, 2026

The Watkins Company has completed its acquisition of the spice business of Sauer Brands, Inc., adding the Kernel Season's, Spice Hunter and Sauer's spice and seasoning brands to the Winona, Minnesota, company's portfolio. The deal also brings over Sauer Brands' spice-related foodservice and private-label businesses and its manufacturing operations in Richmond, Virginia, and San Luis Obispo, California. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The two companies first announced a definitive agreement on September 23, saying they expected the transaction to close by the end of the third quarter of 2026. Sauer Brands' mayonnaise and condiment products, including Duke's Mayonnaise, Mateo's Gourmet Salsa and the condiments sold under the Sauer's name, were not part of the sale and remain with Sauer Brands, which is backed by private equity firm Advent International.

"This is a defining moment for Watkins, one that significantly expands our ambitions in flavor," said J.R. Rigley, CEO of The Watkins Company. "With the addition of Sauer's brands, capabilities, and talented teams, we have a platform to put that expertise to work on a new scale." Sauer Brands CEO E. Yuri Hermida said Watkins is "well positioned to carry our leading spice brands forward."

Kernel Season's has sold popcorn seasonings since 1999, Spice Hunter is a premium line of herbs, spices and blends founded in California in 1980, and Sauer's everyday spices date to 1887. Watkins said the additions strengthen its retail presence and give it more scale in foodservice and private label, with products reaching restaurants and movie theaters as well as grocery shelves.

The acquisition follows a change in Watkins' own ownership. On July 31, Cannae Holdings announced it had sold the stake it bought in Watkins in October 2024 for 80 million dollars to KDSA Investment Partners, saying the sale returned roughly 1.2 times its invested capital.

Founded more than 150 years ago, Watkins sells spices, seasonings, extracts and baking products and has long offered them through independent consultants as well as retail distribution.

Watkins in the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Minneapolis Star Tribune | 3/2/2009

Two-ounce bottles of natural lavender body oil moved along the line at the Watkins Inc. manufacturing plant in Winona, Minn. Watkins has been manufacturing on the same block in Winona since 1885, back when founder J.R. Watkins rode around in his horse-drawn buggy.

Small comforts: A retail concoction that mixes natural products and door-to-door sales along with mass merchandising is keeping Watkins Inc. vigorous and growing.