Saco Foods, a US manufacturer of shelf-stable products, has acquired Quinoa Corp., the owner of the brands Ancient Harvest and Pamela's.

The Wisconsin-based company said the deal, struck for an undisclosed sum, adds two “category and industry-leading brands to the growing Saco portfolio”.

Saco, which gained new owners in January when Canada’s Fengate Private Equity and Weathervane Investment Corp. bought the business from Benford Capital Partners, acquired Quinoa Corp. from Encore Consumer Capital.

Ancient Harvest is reputed to be the first company to bring quinoa to the US, in 1983. Its portfolio spans a range of organic, non-GMO and plant-based foods, including multiple varieties of quinoa, pasta and polenta.

Pamela's has been making gluten-free foods since 1988. Its products include pancake mixes, sweet and savoury baking mixes, cookies and snack bars.

Both brands are sold in natural food and grocery stores throughout the US and Canada and via Amazon.

Tom Walzer, CEO of Saco Foods, said: "We are excited to welcome Ancient Harvest and Pamela's into our family of brands. Broadening our offering with their quality products complements our existing portfolio and leverages our shared service platform to improve service and reinvest in innovation to drive the organic growth of these great legacy brands."

John Becker, former CEO of Quinoa Corp. and now president of Ancient Harvest and Pamela's, said: "With the support of Saco, we have a great opportunity to reinvigorate these brands and expand our distribution, while maintaining the high quality standards our customers and end consumers expect."

Saco Foods, founded in 1973 by Ray Sanna with his father and brother, specialises in shelf-stable products. Its portfolio includes chocolate chips, dry milk products and sun-dried tomatoes but it is probably best known for its chocolate coatings brand Dolci Frutta. It sells its products through supermarkets, mass retailers and e-commerce channels.