Nestlé Expands Smart Food
Nestlé Takes Full Control of yfood Labs in €450M Deal, Boosting European Presence
Nestlé said it will take full ownership of German “smart food” maker yfood Labs by buying out the remaining shares from the company’s founders, after holding a 49% stake since 2023 and making it its first relevant acquisition since CEO Philipp Navratil took over. The transaction terms are undisclosed, but sources cited by Bloomberg put yfood’s value at about 450 million euros, with the share transfer expected to complete on July 3. Nestlé said it aims to accelerate yfood’s growth while yfood will continue to operate independently, with leadership to shift to Nestlé executive Jolanda Schwirtz once the deal closes. yfood sells drinkable meal replacements—such as drinks, powders, and bars—marketed as nutritionally complete alternatives, generating roughly 150 million euros in revenue in 2025 and reaching consumers across dozens of countries. Nestlé also framed the move as strengthening its Europe presence while supporting expansion beyond the continent, including into the United States. Separately, market-analytics coverage notes Nestlé is trading around the low-to-mid 20s on earnings multiples and may appear slightly undervalued versus modeled intrinsic value measures.
Key Points
Nestlé’s head of its nutrition and health business in Europe, Sophia Jalal, said: “Becoming the full brand owner will allow us to accelerate its growth story, in Europe and beyond.”
yfood said its products are marketed in 30 countries and available in over 50,000 points of sale.
Nestlé’s buyout covers the stakes of yfood’s co-founders and co-chief executives, Benjamin Kremer and Noel Bollmann, as Nestlé moves from a minority stake to full ownership.
Bloomberg reported that the deal—buying out yfood founders for an undisclosed sum—supports Nestlé’s push to focus on faster-growing brands, with the transaction valuing yfood at about €450 million.
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