Hershey is buying Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels and co-manufacturer Pretzels, Inc. for $1.2 billion. The combined acquisitions make it the second-largest deal in the company's history.

Dot's Pretzels is a perfect complement to Hershey's growing salty snacking portfolio and would create an opportunity to reach new consumers in new occasions, advancing Hershey's snacking powerhouse vision. 

"As the fastest growing U.S. pretzel brand, Dot's Pretzels would further accelerate our success in the permissible salty snack category, along with our successful SkinnyPop and Pirate's Booty brands," said Michele Buck, The Hershey Company president and CEO. "With a unique range of bold, distinctive seasonings and a flavorful crunch that creates a premium pretzel experience for consumers, Dot's Pretzels stand apart from all other products in the pretzel category and represents 55% of the pretzel category's growth during the past year."

Created more than a decade ago in North Dakota by founder Dot Henke in her home kitchen, Dot's Pretzels started as a special family snack that she shared with family, friends and neighbors to get through long, cold North Dakota winters. Henke built her business by holding to the highest quality standards, a tradition the company continues today so that each bag of Dot's Pretzels tastes as if it were made in Dot's home kitchen.

Hershey also announced it has entered into another agreement to acquire Pretzels Inc. from an affiliate of Peak Rock Capital, a private investment firm with numerous investments in the food and beverage industry. Pretzels Inc. is a co-manufacturer of pretzels for Dot's Pretzels and several other customers and is a leading innovator in the pretzel category. Based in Bluffton, Ind., Pretzels Inc. operates three manufacturing locations in Indiana and Kansas. When the transactions are completed, these three manufacturing locations would be in addition to four pretzel-seasoning facilities to be acquired with Dot's.