Frito-Lay North America and the Oberto Sausage Company have agreed to end their partnership of the last 10 years for distribution and sales of Oh Boy! Oberto brand meat snack products in the United States and Canada.
Under terms of the joint decision, Frito-Lay will sell and distribute "Oh Boy! Oberto" meat snacks until August 15, 2009, at which time Oberto Sausage Company will transition to a direct sales and distribution model. Existing customers will receive full sales and distribution coverage through August 15, 2009 from Frito-Lay.
"We've had a strong partnership with Oberto over the past 10 years, and both companies helped grow Oberto into a national brand," said Frito-Lay North America president and CEO Al Carey. "Both of our companies benefited from the partnership, and we each remain committed to the meat snacks category."
"As our business and the industry evolves, this new agreement puts us in the best possible position to continue the tremendous growth and success Oberto has enjoyed for more than 90 years," said Dennis Delaye, chairman and interim CEO of the Oberto Sausage Company.
"Our focus now is working together with Frito-Lay to secure a seamless transition in the marketplace, with minimal disruptions for our customers," added Hal Jackson, vice president of sales at Oberto.
The distribution agreement between the companies will remain in effect through August 15, 2009, and current customers are encouraged to continue purchases of Oberto products from Frito-Lay until sales are transitioned. Frito-Lay and Oberto are committed to ensuring that this transition is seamless, and that their consumers and retail partners continue receiving the quality products and exceptional service they've come to expect from the two companies.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.