“As a pure-play company with strong momentum, we needed a name and identity that captures the potential of this new organization,” said Sean Connolly, chief executive officer of Sara Lee North American Retail and Foodservice, who will become chief executive officer of Hillshire Brands. “Hillshire Brands represents our strong heritage in quality and great taste as well as our ambitions for growing our portfolio of iconic brands in the future.”
Sara Lee will become two independent pure-play, publicly traded companies on June 28. The other company will be D.E Master Blenders 1753, which will focus on international coffee and tea. The Hillshire Brands business will include the Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Aidells, Gallo Salame and State Fair Brands. The Hillshire Brands’ Foodservice division will continue to be known as Sara Lee Foodservice.
