Adam Jackson
Real Brands (OTCQB: RLBD) agreed to acquire Boulder Botanical & Biosciences Laboratories, a manufacturer of white-label and private-label wellness and sports medicine herbal supplements and CBD products, from Frankens Investment Fund LLC, which acquired Boulder Botanical in April 2022.
The acquisition will include Boulder Botanical’s brands for humans and pets, intellectual property and distribution at the 27,000 square foot research, development and production facility in Golden, Colorado.
The price tag of the transaction is $12 million, with a $1 million operating capital commitment. Boulder Botanical will retain its name and operate as a division of Real Brands.
“Boulder Botanical’s existing national distribution network serving CVS, Target, Costco and other retailers, combined with Real Brands’ expertise in online sales and the metaverse, enables ready access to millions of existing customers and millions more potential customers online and in person,” said Thom Kidrin, president & CEO of Real Brands.
“With this acquisition, we have increased our production capacity by 300%, have added a portfolio of 150+ brands, extensive IP, and a skilled R&D team to create hundreds more products to meet the demand of the burgeoning herbal supplement and CBD markets.”
The U.S. Herbal Supplements Market size was estimated at $2.2 billion in 2021, $2.6 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.62% to reach $4.1 billion by 2027, according to data firm Research and Markets.
Research and Market’s July report expects the global herbal supplements market will grow from $32.1 billion in 2021 to $49.1 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 7.34% during that span of time.
Research firm Global Market Insights found that the global CBD market in 2021 was $12.8 billion (U.S. portion was $7.7 billion) and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.7% to $56.2 billion by 2028, due primarily to “rising awareness of health benefits of CBD and its effectiveness in pain management and various other treatments.”
“We are maintaining a position as strategic equity shareholders in Real Brands,” said David Frankens, owner of Frankens Investments. “With this acquisition, we believe Real Brands under Thom Kidrin’s leadership, has the capability to capture a dominant position within the CBD industry and be a significant supplier in the health and wellness herbal supplements industry.”
Real Brands said it has contracted to retain key Boulder Botanical employees for a seamless transition, “with no interruption in supply to customers.”
The Golden production facility was previously owned by General Electric to manufacture medical devices such as pacemakers.
Real Brands said that the facility’s infrastructure and construction with Good Manufacturing Practice regulations, its safety features, vacuum-sealed rooms, commercial kitchens and clean rooms are all ideal for producing nutraceutical-grade CBD and herbal supplement products in compliance with certified standards used in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.
