Deliciously Ella's Healthy Eating Empire Expands Globally with Acquisition by Swiss Food Giant

Deliciously Ella, the plant-based food brand founded by Ella Mills, has been acquired by Swiss food group Hero in a move that will see its oat bars and energy balls sold worldwide. The undisclosed deal is expected to make Mills and her husband Matthew millionaires, as they turn the website she started in her parents' kitchen at age 21 into a thriving healthy eating empire.

Transforming the Healthy Eating Landscape, One Bite at a Time

From Humble Beginnings to Global Phenomenon

Deliciously Ella began as a personal blog in 2012, where Ella Mills shared the vegan meals and snacks she was eating after a health crisis. The blog quickly snowballed into a bestselling cookbook and, by 2016, a supermarket food range. The brand's rapid growth has been fueled by a large social media following, with 4 million followers, the biggest of any vegan brand. The Deliciously Ella app has also seen 1.4 million recipe downloads, and the brand's seven cookbooks have sold nearly 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Bringing Healthy Eating to the Mainstream

Ella Mills has been credited with helping to bring food traditionally found in health food shops to the mainstream. "A lot of [health] food had very little flavour and a holier-than-thou cardboardy feel to it," she said in a recent interview. "It seems amazing now but no one was selling avocado on toast back then." The Deliciously Ella brand has been successful in meeting the growing demand for healthier food choices, with its products now available in most supermarkets.

Rapid Growth and Profitability

Under the leadership of Ella's husband, Matthew, as chief executive, the Deliciously Ella business has experienced rapid growth. Revenues at the profitable group had grown to £24 million in 2023, according to the most recent set of accounts at Companies House. The brand has shifted more than 100 million of its cereal bars and granola packs to date, with a product being sold every second.

Joining Forces with a Global Food Giant

The acquisition by Swiss food group Hero brings Deliciously Ella under the same umbrella as the Organix brand, which is a favorite with middle-class parents. Hero, based in Lenzburg, Switzerland, had a turnover of CHF1.2 billion (£1.1 billion) last year and bills itself as being on a "mission to delight consumers by conserving the goodness of nature." The deal is expected to enable Deliciously Ella to expand its reach, particularly in the lucrative US market, where its oat bar range is set to launch in Whole Foods stores.

Maintaining the Brand's Ethos and Leadership

After the sale, 70 employees will join Hero, including Ella and Matthew Mills. Matthew will remain as chief executive, while Ella will take on the role of "founder/brand ambassador." The couple have been tasked with leading the "next stage of growth" for Deliciously Ella, ensuring that the brand's ethos and values are maintained as it expands globally.