The healthy eating brand Deliciously Ella, founded by wellness entrepreneur Ella Mills, has been purchased by Hero Group, a Swiss food company known for owning Organix, an organic snacks brand for children based in the UK.

Ella Mills and her husband Matthew, who are the primary shareholders, stand to gain significantly from the acquisition. While the specifics of the deal have not been released, Deliciously Ella reported an impressive £24 million in sales and a pre-tax profit of £1.8 million in its most recent financial year.

The acquisition encompasses the Deliciously Ella app, which offers subscribers access to a library of over 2,000 healthy recipes, and a range of Deliciously Ella-branded products, including snack bars and chocolate-dipped nuts available in UK supermarkets. Additionally, the deal includes the company’s factory located near Milton Keynes.

However, the recently launched Plants brand, which features products like pasta, kombucha juice, and fresh soups, along with the couple’s Plants by Deliciously Ella restaurant in central London, are not part of this acquisition. Following the sale, seven employees will transition to work for the Plants brand, while the remaining 70 will join Hero Group, which includes Mills and her husband.

Matthew Mills, 40, expressed that the couple would remain with the company “as long as we are useful.” He noted his excitement about becoming an employee of Hero Group and referenced advice from his late mother, Tessa Jowell, the Labour politician who passed away in 2018. He reflected, “My mum always used to say that leading isn’t about being in charge; it’s about being in service,” emphasizing their commitment to contribute positively to the business.

Ella Mills, now 33, originally started Deliciously Ella as a blog chronicling her dietary changes to recover from a serious illness during her university years. She expressed her excitement about her new role as a salaried employee, noting, “It’s quite an unusual career trajectory, having never had an official job before starting Deliciously Ella. Since launching in 2016, we have sold over 100 million food products.”

After their partnership in 2015, the couple expanded their offerings to include granolas, snacks, and oat bars, with sales exceeding one million units. They also opened three cafes in London, with two closing in 2018; the remaining cafe was reopened as Plants in 2021.

In response to the pandemic, Deliciously Ella shifted its focus toward international markets, launching in Switzerland and the Republic of Ireland in 2020 and expanding to Austria and Germany in 2023. Ella Mills mentioned that the brand will debut in Whole Foods in the United States later this year.

The couple highlighted that the acquisition process was “pretty full on,” yet they remain optimistic about the brand’s future under Hero Group’s ownership. “With a larger company, we feel we can accelerate everything we want to achieve,” Matthew noted.

Matthew Mills shared that the brand’s growth in recent years had led to various acquisition offers from both trade buyers and financial investors. However, he emphasized their desire to find the right fit before proceeding. “We’ve been approached many times by private equity. While we weren’t completely opposed to it, our values-driven business needed a suitable ownership approach,” he stated.

Looking forward to corporate benefits, Matthew expressed enthusiasm for the holiday allowance associated with corporate jobs, adding, “We’ve not taken a day off yet this year,” along with the shared responsibility of being part of a larger organization. “It’s a relief knowing that other people’s livelihoods are not solely dependent on our decisions,” he remarked.

He also mentioned the significant financial pressure that has been alleviated due to the deal, stating, “We’ve been completely reliant on the business for income, even having a personal guarantee on our house for the past eight years.”

The couple previously addressed assumptions about their upbringing influencing their business success. Ella Mills clarified, “It’s a common assumption, and I understand why that is, but we have built this business, brick by brick, from the very beginning.”

The couple’s holding company, M&E Mills, reported dividends of £652,752 in 2023 and £777,721 for the 16-month period ending in 2022.

Confident in their decision, the couple believes they have found the right partner in Hero Group, which they trust will honor their values, particularly regarding ingredient quality and provenance.

Matthew Mills remarked on the duration of their discussions, saying, “We started talking in December of last year; we dated these guys for ten months before getting married, which is significant for us.”