Ferris Coffee & Nut announced it has added Kalamazoo-based Lush Gourmet Foods to its product portfolio.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2011 by culinary student Bisera Urdarevik, Lush uses artisan quality ingredients to provide customers with uniquely delicious peanuts and almonds in gourmet flavors, including Hot Curry, Coconut Orange Peel, Coconut Lavender, and Dark Cocoa Chili, to name a few.
More traditional offerings such as Salt and Pepper, Cinnamon Spice and Coffee varieties are also widely popular. Lush nuts use all natural ingredients without additives or preservatives. The products are free of gluten, soy, and are also vegan.
Lush Gourmet products are sold in a variety of packages ranging from 8-ounces to .8 oz "mini" packages. Lush also specializes in holiday and corporate gifts which can be found on its website. Lush Gourmet currently wholesales to approximately 100 accounts across five states, including mainstream retailers such as Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma.
"We were immediately drawn to Bisera's passion and spirit of entrepreneurship. Her creativity and work ethic makes her a natural fit on our team," said Zach Malin, Ferris' Business Unit Manager of Nuts and Snacking. "We view this as an investment into her and her brand and are excited to offer Lush the ability to expand through our added resources and experience."
Lush Gourmet will continue to operate under the original brand while also benefiting from the support brought by Ferris Coffee & Nut, such as additional sales channels and larger manufacturing capabilities.
Urdarevik will join the Ferris team as its Creative Director of Product Development and will develop new, innovative products for Ferris and Lush. Lush Gourmet Foods' production will be relocated to Ferris' Grand Rapids-based headquarters in early 2017, and while the company will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Ferris, it will retain its name.
"Lush Gourmet has been a sweet and salty family tradition for generations and has grown exponentially over the past five years," said Urdarevik. "It began as a culinary school project, honestly, that fueled my desire to recreate my mother's family recipe with the highest quality ingredients I could find. I received an incredibly positive response, and that's what started me down the path. I'm thrilled to partner with Ferris to explore additional opportunities while staying true to my family's original recipe and commitment to quality."
While Urdarevik is a professionally trained pastry chef with a degree from Kendall College in Chicago, her first knowledge and love for cooking came from spending time in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother. Her passion to produce artisan nut products evident in every handcrafted batch.
