Cully & Sully acquired by New York food group

The Cork-based food company has been acquired by a US natural and organics food group, Hain Celestial.

04/05/12 6,395 Views 18 Comments

Colum O'Sullivan, co-founder of Cully and Sully is pictured second from the left in this 2009 file photo

Image: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

IRISH FOOD COMPANY Cully & Sully has been bought by a US-based natural and organics food group, Hain Celestial, for an undisclosed amount of money.

The Cork-based company was founded in 2004 by Cullen Allen (Cully) and Colum O’Sullivan (Sully) and now supplies all major retailers with natural chilled soups, pies and hotpots.

Allen and O’Sullivan will continue to manage all aspects of Cully & Sully – reporting to Rob Burnett, Chief Executive Officer, Hain Daniels Group.

“We are pleased to be expanding our international presence into Ireland with Cully & Sully, a leading chilled brand that has delivered consistent, profitable growth since 2004,” said Irwin D. Simon, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hain Celestial.

Simon said there were plans to bring the Cully & Sully soup range to the both the UK and US markets.

“We’re excited to be leveraging the Hain Daniels footprint with the creative talent and product offerings of Cully & Sully to further our growth prospects,” said CEO Rob Burnett.

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Bilbo Baggins 04/05/12 #

11 177

A great success story cully and sully are, fair play to them. I hope this is the start of bigger things and exports for them. I just hope that with the international ownership they don’t move production abroad seekin a better bottom line…

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gerry 04/05/12 #

3 41

I remember meeting sully in 04/05 when they started off and got into a major supermarket where I worked. The nicest most funniest down to earth guy you could meet. I met him a number of times over the next few years and watching their growth i used to joke with him asking if he had made his first million yet. He was always down played their success wary of the investment of time and money thy put into their company. This buyout represents a return on that investment and they deserve it well done.

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TargetOnlineMarketin 04/05/12 #

4 45

Well done, great success story, great products, well deserved!

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Fagan's 04/05/12 #

11 56

I’ve no problem with them selling and making a killing if they want to. Good luck to them.

I would like to see more done to help keep successful indigenous companies in Ireland though. Retain profits at home, higher level jobs at home as well. In all probability the manufacturing of these products will move abroad in time as they scale up.

I’d also like to see any companies which receive state grants, aid or whatever having to provide a share of their company in return for that investment – so that if/when a sell off occurs that at least the state gets some pay back or even some profit.

There isn’t enough support given to high potential co’s like these and helping them up to large scale co’s. We need to have our own Multi-nationals if we are to grow out of this crisis. Ever the employee and never the boss isn’t going to cut it.

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- King Thorgest 04/05/12 #
  
  19 19
  
  Perhaps we should nationalise all private businesses so your previous State gets it’s cut, comrade? The State takes it’s tithe; taxes, why is it never enough?
  
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mcbab 04/05/12 #

5 14

Great products. This will give them a much bigger market.

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Debi-Nikita Rathbone-Rentzke 05/05/12 #

2 8

Tried their products, not overly impressed. But fair play to them on their business success..

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- SMcB 05/05/12 #
  
  1 2
  
  And they’re bloody expensive. No thanks.
  
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Daniel R 04/05/12 #

10 12

US company eh? Well get ready for genetically modified, high fructose corn syrup and MSG soup.

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conor hickey 04/05/12 #

16 11

Is there an Irish owned alternative product available?

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- Cornelius Traas 04/05/12 #
  
  4 12
  
  Brownes soups from Tipperary
  
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stephen duggan 04/05/12 #

33 15

Being bought out by a foreign multi national equates success. There will be no Irish profitable companies left in Ireland in a while.

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- Oisin O'Sullivan 04/05/12 #
  
  6 29
  
  Correct…in fact hang Cully & Sully…the sell-outs. Who do they think they are trying to cash in on their hard work?
  
  Possibly people like you are the reason this country is in the state it is. No matter what anyone does it is never enough.
  
  Here are two guys who work their b@llix off and you give out when they try to cash in some chips…
  
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- stephen duggan 04/05/12 #
  
  15 6
  
  Where in my comment does it imply that I was criticizing them for selling up?? I was criticizing the tone of the article. I’m not gona celebrate the fact that a good profitable Irish company is now a subsidiary of an American multi national. Unlike you obviously. You’re what’s wrong with this country. Now f off back to Starbucks.
  
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- Oisin O'Sullivan 04/05/12 #
  
  3 10
  
  well no offense…but if they were not successful they would not be bought out…hence your criticism of them selling out is implicit in your original statement…
  
  Then again I suppose you would prefer if they still had a one man shop and vegetable garden…suppose you thought they were wrong when they started selling their product in the multinationals?
  
  Now I’m off to Tesco to buy my IRISH MADE AND GROWN SOUP…
  
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- stephen duggan 05/05/12 #
  
  11 4
  
  Okay so I’m to deduce from your last comment that in order for an Irish company to be considered successful they have to be bought out by a multi national corporation! I’m sure Steve jobs and Bill Gates had that same vision. What a depressing thought for irish companies with ambition. Enjoy your Irish made but American owned soup anyway!
  
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- Oisin O'Sullivan 05/05/12 #
  
  2 6
  
  Not quite. The point I am making is that no one would want to buy an unsuccessful company…therefore the fact that a multinational wanted to buy the company showed they were successful…
  
  No offense but it is as if you are giving out because they sold up. It is their company and they can do what they like with it.
  
  I do not see what is the problem. Would you prefer an Irish owned unsuccessful company or an Irish grown successful one?
  
  When comparing apple or Microsoft it is nearly like you are criticising them for not turning it into an Irish owned multi billion dollar company…what if they didn’t want to? who are we to say what they should or should not do?
  
  Instead should we not celebrate it for what it is? A successful Irish start up which has now been sold?
  
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Simon McGrath 04/05/12 #

19 10

Sad times

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Cully & Sully acquired by New York food group

The Cork-based food company has been acquired by a US natural and organics food group, Hain Celestial.