Indigo Wild Emily Voth

Indigo Wild sells majority stake to Indiana PE firm

Indigo Wild, a plant-based cosmetics company, announced that Hammond, Kennedy, Whitney and Co., an Indianapolis-based private equity firm, acquired a majority stake in the company. The deal closed on Aug. 10, and terms were not disclosed.

Emily Voth, who co-founded the company with her husband out of her Kansas City home in 1996, will remain as owner and “head Zummer,” focusing on product creation, sales and marketing, and strategic growth development.

“We are so excited about our future with HKW,” Voth said in a news release. “With their knowledge and experience in the consumer products category, we can place more plant-based products in the hands of more people and continue to spread the Indigo Wild mojo.”

Indigo Wild, a member of the inaugural 25 Under 25 class in 2002, is best known from its “Zum” line of soaps and body sprays, as well as its home and cleaning product lines. All of its products are vegetarian or vegan and are considered animal cruelty-free. The company distributes its products through grocery, specialty, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer channels.

According to its website, HKW invests in growth-minded, small to medium-sized companies with a revenue range of $20 million to $200 million.

John Carsello, HKW partner, said in a news release Indigo Wild represented an “ideal fit” with the firm’s investment strategy.

Indigo Wild “aligns seamlessly into HKW’s health and wellness sector focus; has a tremendous track record of growth, customer loyalty and product innovation. We are thrilled Emily, her impressive management team, and host of innovative employees chose to partner with HKW as Indigo Wild enters its next phase in the health and wellness sector,” Carsello said.

The company will remained headquartered in Kansas City.