Udi's Healthy Foods

(Redirected from Udi the Sandwich Man)

Udi's Healthy Foods is a brand of gluten-free food owned by Conagra Brands.

Udi's Healthy Foods
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryGluten-free food
Founded2008; 16 years ago (2008)
FounderUdi Baron
HeadquartersDenver, Colorado, U.S.
ProductsBagels, English muffins, bread, buns, lasagna, baguettes, granola, muffins, pizza
OwnerConagra Brands
Websiteudisglutenfree.com

History

edit

Udi's started as a group of cafes in Denver, Colorado, owned by Udi Baron. Baron's first cafe was called Udi the Sandwich Man, which opened in 1994. In 2008, Baron teamed with a gluten-free baker and started producing gluten free products. The pair focused on the 10% of Americans that are either gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, knowing that typical gluten-free products on the market "tasted terrible". The market was worth $1.6 billion at the time. Retailers initially rejected gluten-free products, seeing them as a "fad"; the market has since grown to $4.2 billion annually.

Sales of Udi's reached $60 million in 2012, and the brand was purchased by Boulder Brands for $125 million in 2013.[1][2] Some locations of Smashburger first offered the Udi's gluten-free bun. In 2016 Pinnacle Foods purchased Boulder Brands. Two years later, Conagra Brands bought Pinnacle Foods in order to expand their frozen foods line.[3] Conagra Brands is the current owner of the Udi's product line. It supplies Udi's brand products to many grocery stores and restaurants.

References

edit
  1. ^ Gross, Dan (25 June 2013). "Pivoting, Consumer Products Style". Forbes. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  2. ^ Ajit Thomas, Maria (21 June 2013). "Boulder Brands bets on gluten-free foods to spur sales". Reuters.
  3. ^ Naidu, Richa; Venugopal, Aishwarya (27 June 2018). "Conagra to buy Pinnacle for $8.1 billion, creating frozen food powerhouse". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 8 December 2022.