RICHMOND, Va. — Sauer Brands, owner of Duke’s Mayonnaise, Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa and other food brands, has agreed to sell its historic spice business to The Watkins Company, a Winona, Minnesota-based flavor company.
The sale breaks apart a historic Richmond company, one with a long legacy, not only with spices, but food colorings. It also means that Sauer’s historic warehouse and building, with its vanilla sign, are no longer connected to the original company. The company is one of the rare businesses where their original factory, still operating, is listed on the National Register. It appears on the National Park Service Register as the West Broad Street Industrial and Commercial Historic District.
The transaction includes Kernel Season’s, Spice Hunter and Sauer’s branded spices and seasonings, as well as Sauer Brands’ spice-related private-label and foodservice businesses. The financial terms were not disclosed.
The company changed the Sauer yellow packaging to white.
Sauer Brands’ mayonnaise and condiment products, including those sold under the Sauer’s name, are not part of the transaction and will remain with Sauer Brands.
The companies said they expect the transaction to close by the end of the third quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.
Watkins will acquire the branding and distribution rights to Kernel Season’s, Spice Hunter and Sauer’s branded spices and seasonings. It also will take ownership of Sauer Brands’ spice manufacturing facilities in Richmond, Virginia, and San Luis Obispo, California.
“This transaction is an important step in our broader strategy to build a more focused condiments business,” E. Yuri Hermida, CEO of Sauer Brands, said in a press release. Hermida said the spice business was an important part of Sauer Brands’ history and that Watkins would provide a home for the brands.
J.R. Rigley, CEO of The Watkins Company, said in the press release that the three brands complement Watkins’ existing business.
“Kernel Season’s, Spice Hunter and Sauer’s branded spices and seasonings are exactly the kind of high-quality brands that complement the heritage business Watkins has been growing for more than 150 years,” said J.R. Rigley, CEO of The Watkins Company. “As a trusted and dedicated flavor company, we are excited to introduce Sauer’s spices to generations of our loyal consumers. We see significant potential in using Watkins’ expertise and steadfast reputation to expand our reach in branded, foodservice and private label categories.”
Sauer Brands is headquartered in Richmond and is backed by Advent International. Its portfolio includes Duke’s Mayonnaise and Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa.
The Watkins Company, headquartered in Winona, has more than 150 years of history in spices, seasonings, extracts and baking decorations.
The deal separates Sauer’s spice business from its mayonnaise and condiment operations while transferring three established spice brands and two manufacturing facilities to Watkins.
Centerview Partners advised Sauer Brands on the transaction, with Foley & Lardner providing legal counsel. Intrepid Investment Bankers advised Watkins, with Faegre Drinker providing legal counsel.
The spice and extract line dates from 1887, when Conrad Frederick Sauer founded the C.F. Sauer Company in Richmond. Sauer acquired Duke’s in 1929. In 2019, the family sold to Falfurrias Capital Partners and the Boston private equity firm Advent International bought it in 2025.
Image at top: The C.F. Sauer building, as taken by architectural historian Calder Loth of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, for their nomination form to the National Register.
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