Boston Better Snacks popcorn, Terra Chips vegetable snacks, Westbrae soy milk and many more. Far from being faddish, Hain's products are part of an irreversible mass movement toward healthier diets, or so Mr. Simon argues. Frozen chicken, for instance, usually isn't kept near health foods in stores. Hain's customers and allies see a good deal of sense in Hain's strategy. In a highly fragmented industry, Hain's consolidation of brands means simpler, more-convenient ordering and delivering, Mr. Youngman says.
Finances are strong.
Mr. Simon, president and chief executive of Hain, was born in a fishing community in Nova Scotia, Canada. After studying commerce at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, he went to work for the Canadian licensee for Haagen-Dazs ice cream. In 1992, he left a job marketing Slimfast diet drinks and set about forming his own company. The initial brands that he purchased didn't amount to much. Mr. Simon says he redesigned packaging, reformulated products and paid calls on distributors to increase the sales of acquired brands.