Mondelēz buys majority stake in 25,000-retailer New Jersey snack maker Undercover Snacks
Diana Levy started a kitchen snack brand for her daughters.
The short version
- Now Mondelēz International, which owns Oreo and Toblerone, is buying a majority stake.
- The New Jersey maker of chocolate quinoa crisps sells in over 25,000 stores.
- Founder Diana Levy stays as CEO after the deal closes in early 2027.
Check your grocery shelves. Mondelēz International, which owns Oreo, Ritz crackers and Toblerone, just agreed to buy a majority stake in Undercover Snacks, a fast-growing New Jersey snack maker, according to NJBIZ. The deal brings a local family-run business into the orbit of a massive global food giant.
Diana Levy founded Undercover Snacks in 2017 in East Hanover after two of her daughters were diagnosed with celiac disease. She started by making chocolate-covered crispy quinoa Snacks right in her kitchen. Today, the company operates a custom-engineered chocolate factory in East Hanover and employs her husband and three daughters.
Undercover products are now available at more than 25,000 retailers, including Amazon, Whole Foods, Costco and CVS. Since 2023, United Airlines has handed out more than 175 million units of the Snacks in its flight boxes. Following the transaction, which is expected to close in early 2027, Diana Levy will remain as chief executive officer.
Her husband, Michael Levy, will continue as president and chief operating officer, and the family will keep a significant minority ownership stake. Undercover will operate as a standalone business inside Mondelēz's North America Ventures division, joining brands like Tate's Bake Shop and Hu Chocolate.
"When I first started making chocolate quinoa crisps in my kitchen, I was simply trying to create a snack that my entire family could enjoy," Diana Levy said. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the partnership gives the local brand access to Mondelēz's massive global distribution network and procurement resources.
