Vista Outdoor, parent company of Remington Ammunition, said Thursday it acquired Arkansas-based Fiber Energy Products to complement its Camp Chef cooking brand all while its Lonoke ammo plant continues to churn out product to meet strong demand.
In a conference call detailing Vista Outdoor’s record second quarter, Chris Metz, Vista Outdoor CEO, said the company had acquired Mountain View-based Fiber Energy Products, an all-natural wood grilling pellet maker. The deal is valued at about $48 million, Metz said in a later phone interview.
Fiber Energy Products has a second plant in Seymore, Mo. and employs about 100 people across its operations. The purchase locks down a consistent supply of pellets for Vista Outdoor’s backcountry and backyard cooking brand, Camp Chef. Metz said consumers were eager to have access to Camp Chef-branded grilling pellets, and Fiber Energy Products is an industry leader with a stellar reputation.
Metz also noted demand for ammunition is still strong and the company is adding machinery to increase production at its ammo plants. In a later phone interview he declined to specify which plants would get additional gear for competitive reasons.
"We're all one team," he said, noting the company would put the new equipment in plants where it would do the most good.
Metz said the company has made great strides integrating Remington into its portfolio of brands and Remington's sales alone should top $300 million this fiscal year. He noted product innovations, including Remington’s new Core-Lokt Tipped ammunition, are helping to drive sales.
Remington’s Lonoke facility employs about 1,100 people as of late July and is still looking for hundreds more workers. That’s more than double the November 2021 count of around 450.