Lake Success, NY —The Hain Celestial Group, Inc announced its Hain Daniels U.K. subsidiary has acquired Clarks UK Ltd., a natural sweetener brand based in Newport, South Wales. It produces natural sweeteners under the Clarks brand – including maple syrup, honey and carob, date and agave syrups, sold at retail and used in food service.

"We welcome Bob Clark and his team to the Hain Celestial family and look forward to working with Clarks in expanding the brand's development in the United Kingdom and continental Europe," said Irwin D. Simon, Founder, President and CEO of Hain Celestial, in a statement. "The Clarks brand and products are a strategic fit with the Hain Daniels spreads business for various natural sweeteners applications to complement our health and wellness portfolio of brands as consumers continue to seek to reduce their sugar intake and look for better-for-you alternatives to refined sugar."

James Skidmore, Hain Daniels CEO, added, "I welcome our new colleagues within Clarks to the business and see significant opportunities to further develop the natural sweeteners category. The strength of the Clarks brand puts it in a strong position to capitalize on the growing consumer trends towards more natural and healthier foods."

In calendar year 2016, Clarks generated about $9.5 million in net sales and is expected to be accretive to Hain Celestial's earnings in fiscal year 2019.