Rick Bayless sells Frontera's packaged goods business to ConAgra

Chicago chef Rick Bayless has sold the packaged foods businesses of Frontera Foods, Inc. and Red Fork LLC, including the Frontera, Red Fork and Salpica brands to ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG).

Frontera’s premium salsa, sauces, snacks and meals feature the distinct flavors of Mexico. Red Fork is known for its premium American cooking sauces and Salpica is a unique Tex-Mex salsa line.

Bayless, owner of the highly-acclaimed Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco restaurants in Chicago, established Frontera Foods in 1996 with partner and CEO Manny Valdes. Today, the company makes more than 50 regional Mexican food products using premium ingredients and time-honored cooking methods.

Frontera products are handmade from fresh ingredients. Frontera’s Chipotle Salsa, made from fresh fire-roasted tomatillos, roasted garlic, onions and chipotle chiles, introduced this country to the true flavor of smoky chipotle chiles. It won a Sofi Award in 1998 and remains a top seller.

Frontera produces a wide variety of gourmet Mexican products including salsas, taco skillet sauces, slow cook sauces, enchilada sauces, marinades, chili mixes, guacamole mixes, hot sauces and Non-GMO Project Verified stone-ground corn tortilla chips. Frontera products are available nationally through gourmet, specialty and natural food stores. The website www.fronterakitchens.com features recipes for gourmet Mexican meals made easy.

In 2010, Frontera launched the first-ever, fresh-packed seasoning sauces in convenient 8-ounce pouches for quick and easy skillet tacos, fajitas and enchiladas. The skillet taco seasoning sauces were quickly followed by gourmet Mole Sauce, Barbacoa Slow-Cook Sauce and Carnitas Slow-Cook Sauce in the innovative 8-ounce pouch packaging.

Frontera received two 2011 Sofi Award nominations for the Key Lime Cilantro Taco Skillet Sauce and the seasonal Chipotle Pumpkin Salsa. In 2016, Frontera received a Sofi nomination for Frontera Beef Barbacoa Slow Cook Sauce.

ConAgra's announcement stated that Frontera founders Bayless and Valdes will continue to actively support the business.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition does not include any restaurant assets, including Frontera-branded restaurants.

Cumulus Media buys 2 radio stations from Merlin Media

The Chicago Tribune reports that Cumulus Media, owner of news/talk WLS AM 890 and classic hits WLS FM 94.7, is poised to acquire two stations from Merlin Media: classic rock WLUP FM 97.9 and WIQI FM 101.1 (which will revert to modern rock WKQX).

“The addition of WKQX and WLUP will add two legendary radio brands to the two legendary radio brands Cumulus already owns in Chicago,” John Dickey, executive vice president and co-chief operating officer of Cumulus, told Inside Radio. “We are excited to be growing our presence in one of the best media markets in the world.”

Dickey told AllAccess.com there will be no change in the Loop’s format, adding: “We will migrate WKQX from 87.7 to 101.1 next week and return it to alternative, dropping ’90s, 2K & Today.’ We will simulcast it for a month.”

Sale of the two Merlin stations essentially closes another chapter in the saga of Randy Michaels, who launched the company in 2011 after his exit as CEO of Tribune Co.

Terms of the business acquisition agreement with Merlin Media announced Friday were not yet known.