NORTH PROVIDENCE, RI, and GOLDEN, COLO. — Real Brands Inc. announced Sept. 27 its agreement to acquire Boulder Botanical & Bioscience Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of supplements and CBD products, from Frankens Investment Fund. Through the acquisition, Real Brands will expand its R&D capabilities and increase its production capacity by 300% within the human and pet supplement and CBD markets.
The acquisition is valued at $12 million, including a $1 million operating capital commitment. Boulder Botanical will retain its name and will operate as a new division of Real Brands.
“Boulder Botanical has had an excellent reputation for creating quality sports medicine, health and wellness herbal supplements and cannabinoid formulations and its white-label manufacturing services exceeding industry standards,” said Thom Kidrin, president and chief executive officer of Real Brands. “We expect to build upon that solid foundation.”
The acquisition includes:
- All of Boulder Botanical’s brands and intellectual property (IP)
- A 27,000-square-foot, FDA-registered facility in Golden, Colo., which features vacuum-sealed rooms, commercial kitchens and cleaning rooms developed with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations in mind
- One of the largest and efficient manufacturing CBD platforms, according to Real Brands, with multiple production lines and a variety of formulas spanning cosmetics, topicals, tablets, drink powders, tinctures, ointments, gels, energy shots, roll-ons, supplements, pet products and more
- R&D capabilities for nutraceutical-grade products
- A range of certifications and registrations
- Full transparency and traceability of CBD products, from seed to retail shelves.
“Boulder Botanical’s existing national distribution network serving CVS, Target, Costco and other retailers, combined with Real Brands’ expertise in online sales and the metaverse, enables ready access to millions of existing customers and millions more potential customers online and in person,” Kidrin said. “With this acquisition, we have increased our production capacity by 300%, have added a portfolio of more than 150 brands, extensive IP and a skilled R&D team to create hundreds more products to meet the demand of the burgeoning herbal supplement and CBD markets.”
According to Global Market Insights, the global CBD market was worth $12.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.7% to $56.2 billion by 2028. In 2021, the US CBD market amassed $7.7 billion. With this growth in mind, Real Brands is determined to cash on in consumer interest for health, wellness and pet products formulated with CBD.
Boulder Botanical’s R&D portfolio includes many CBD pet wellness products, from bacon-flavored tinctures to dog treats and biscuits. The company was acquired by Frankens Investment in April 2022.
“Boulder Botanical is a gem and one of the hidden cornerstones of the health and wellness herbal supplement and CBD industry that has been providing white-label products manufactured to the highest standards to major retailer chains,” said David Frankens, owner of Frankens Investment. “We jumped at the opportunity to acquire Boulder when it became available because we knew that under the right leadership, the sky would be the limit.
“We are maintaining a position as strategic equity shareholders in Real Brands,” Frankens added. “With this acquisition, we believe Real Brands under Thom Kidrin’s leadership has the capability to capture a dominant position within the CBD industry and be a significant supplier in the health and wellness herbal supplements industry.”
As part of the acquisition, Real Brands will retain Boulder Botanical’s employees, to create a more seamless transition and lessen the interruption of supply to customers.
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