B&G Foods manufactures, sells and distributes a diverse portfolio of branded,
high quality, shelf-stable and frozen food and household products across the United
States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Many of our branded products have leading regional
or national market shares. In general, we position our products to appeal to the
consumer desiring a high quality and reasonably priced product. We complement
our branded product retail sales with institutional and food service sales and
limited private label sales.
B&G Foods, including our subsidiaries and predecessors, has been in business
for over 120 years. We were incorporated in Delaware on November 25, 1996 under
the name B Companies Holdings Corp. On August 11, 1997, we changed our name
to B&G Foods Holdings Corp. On October 14, 2004, B&G Foods, Inc., then
our wholly owned subsidiary, was merged with and into us and we were renamed
B&G Foods, Inc.
Our company has been built upon a successful track record of both organic and
acquisition-related growth. Our goal is to continue to increase sales, profitability
and cash flows through organic growth, disciplined acquisitions of complementary
branded businesses and new product development. Since 1996, we have successfully
acquired and integrated more than 40 brands into our company.
The food industry is one of the United States largest industries. It has
been characterized by relatively stable sales growth, based largely on price
and population increases. As large food companies with a presence in a variety
of branded product categories seek tighter focus within their businesses, they
have shed brands or an entire presence in non-core categories. They have also
sold smaller brands to increase focus on the larger brands within their portfolios.
In the past decade, the retail side of the food industry has seen a continuing
shift of sales to alternate food outlets such as supercenters, warehouse clubs,
dollar stores and drug stores. This shift has caused consolidation of traditional
grocery chains into larger entities, often spanning the country under varying
banner names. Consolidation has increased the importance of having a number
one or two brand within a category, be that position national or regional. A
broad sales and distribution infrastructure has also become critical for food
companies, allowing them to reach all outlets selling food to consumers and
expanding their growth opportunities.
We sell, market and distribute our products through a multiple-channel sales,
marketing and distribution system to all major U.S. food channels, including
sales and shipments to supermarkets, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, wholesalers,
food service distributors and direct accounts, specialty food distributors,
military commissaries and non-food outlets such as drug and dollar store chains.
Certain of our brands, including Green Giant, Cream of Wheat, Accent, Crock
Pot seasoning mixes, Underwood, Polaner, Static Guard, Mrs. Dash, New York Style,
Sugar Twin and Rickland Orchards, are also distributed to similar food channels
in Canada. We sell, market and distribute our household brand, Static Guard,
through the same sales, marketing and distribution system to many of the same
customers who buy our food products as well as to other household product retailers
and distributors.
We sell our products primarily through broker sales networks to supermarket
chains, food service outlets, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, non-food outlets
and specialty distributors. The broker sales network handles the sale of our
products at the retail level.
Our sales organization is aligned by distribution channels and consists of
regional sales managers, key account managers and sales persons. Regional sales
managers sell our products nationwide through national and regional brokers,
with separate organizations focusing on food service, grocery chain accounts
and special markets. Our sales managers coordinate our broker sales efforts,
make key account calls with buyers or distributors and supervise broker retail
coverage of the products at the store level.
Our sales strategy is centered on individual brands. We allocate promotional
spending for each of our brands and our regional sales managers coordinate promotions
with customers. Additionally, our marketing department works in conjunction
with the sales department to coordinate special account activities and marketing
support, such as couponing, public relations and media advertising.
We have a national sales force that is capable of supporting our current brands
and quickly integrating and supporting any newly acquired brands, including
the recently acquired Green Giant brand.