DeMet’s Candy Co. has scooped up its first nut snack-only brand by acquiring TrueNorth from Frito-Lay North America, further complementing its existing confectionery portfolio.

David Clarke, president and ceo of DeMet’s, says that adding the TrueNorth snack brand can only help the company, whose top-line sales growth approached 15% for the 2010 fiscal year and Candy Industry estimates DeMet’s sales in 2010 at $75 million. 

“We just felt like the products were really good, very high quality, very well manufactured, and tasted great,” he says. “They just needed to find their niche.”

Although the management team at DeMet’s has had some experience with nuts while marketing Poppycock, a gourmet popcorn and nut confectionery treat, this will be DeMet’s first  exclusively nut brand.

Clarke emphasizes that  the company plans to respect the integrity of TrueNorth snacks by staying true to the label, which features nuts with no artificial colors and no added colors. 

“The magic here isn’t to reinvent the wheel, but to replicate…where [TrueNorth] has been successful in other places,” said Clarke. 

DeMet’s will continue producing the original varieties of the TrueNorth brand, which includes five different varieties of nut snacks. It also, however, plans to expand the brand’s portfolio by creating new items. 

As of yet, Clarke says that more research and tasting has to be done before any concrete ideas can be nailed down. 

DeMet’s, which purchased the Turtles brand from Nestlé USA in 2007, produces mostly chocolate products, including Flipz, Treasures and Stixx.

For more information, visit www.demetscandy.com

-G.W.