Palladium Equity Partners Announces Investment in Leading All-Natural, Gourmet Snack Food Company Sahale Snacks

    NEW YORK, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Palladium Equity Partners, LLC, a
 private equity firm based in New York, announced today that it has made a
 significant minority investment in Sahale Snacks, a Seattle-based producer
 of branded and private label all-natural, gourmet snack food products.
     Winner of Health Magazine's "Best of Food" award in the snack category
 in 2006, Sahale Snacks produces unique products that intersect important
 consumer trends in natural and gourmet foods. The Sahale Snacks branded
 line of six nut blends combines nuts and fruit with ingredients inspired by
 regional cuisines, such as Moroccan Harissa and Chipotle. This product line
 captured the top four positions in the all-natural trail mix category among
 134 SKUs within two years of launch, according to SPINS, a leading provider
 of information on the natural products industry.
     Sahale Snacks launched its first products in January 2004, at a small
 grocery store in Seattle. Today, Sahale's products can be found in over
 4,000 locations nationwide including Target stores and many Costco
 warehouses. Sahale products are distributed through a national network of
 natural, grocery and specialty distributors and also sold in venues such as
 luxury hotels, cafes, theaters, and health clubs.
     "We are excited to be partnering with Sahale Snacks," said Luis
 Zaldivar, Vice President of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC. "We are looking
 forward to working with Sahale Snacks' co-founders Edmond Sanctis and Josh
 Schroeter and their dynamic management team to advance the Company's
 successful strategy. With Sahale Snacks' superior product offerings and
 Palladium's industry experience, we expect our collaboration to further
 enhance the Company's outstanding recent growth," Mr. Zaldivar concluded.
     "When we launched our first line of products in 2004 with the help of
 friends and family, we did so with the belief that there was a need for
 all- natural, healthy products that offer an epicurean taste experience,"
 said Edmond Sanctis, co-founder of Sahale Snacks. "Palladium's commitment
 will allow Sahale to create even more innovative and exciting new products
 and to further our core mission of offering people sophisticated,
 convenient and healthy food."
     This is the fifth investment of Palladium Fund III, which closed in
 March 2006 with $520 million of committed capital.
     Palladium Equity Partners
     Palladium Equity Partners, LLC (http://www.palladiumequity.com), based
 in New York, is an investment firm focusing on companies in sectors
 including food, business and financial services, healthcare, manufacturing,
 media and retail. Palladium has a particular focus on companies
 well-positioned to capitalize on the fast-growing U.S. Hispanic market. The
 principals have invested more than $1 billion of equity in over 30
 portfolio companies during the last two decades. Formed in 1997, Palladium
 currently has committed equity capital in excess of $750 million.
     Sahale Snacks
     Sahale Snacks (http://www.sahalesnacks.com), based in Seattle, was
 founded in 2003 by Josh Schroeter and Edmond Sanctis after climbing Mt.
 Rainier and enduring days of uninspiring trail mix and energy bars. The two
 set out to create a natural and healthy snack that tasted like great food.
 The Company follows a simple product philosophy: start with all-natural
 ingredients, add a dash of "culinary magic" and produce great tasting
 healthy snacks. Sahale Snacks is dedicated to helping people "Snack
 Better(TM)."
     Contacts:
 
     Palladium Equity Partners                    Sahale Snacks
     David Lilly / Laura Walters                  Donna Williams
     Kekst & Company                              Sahale Snacks
     212-521-4800                                 518-945-3110
 
 

SOURCE Palladium Equity Partners, LLC