MELVILLE, N.Y. — The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. has acquired Daniels Group, a U.K.-based marketer and manufacturer of natural chilled foods. In the last fiscal year Daniels had sales of about $280 million, and the transaction was for $230 million at closing.

“We are extremely excited about the Daniels portfolio becoming part of Hain Celestial,” said Irwin D. Simon, president and chief executive officer of Hain Celestial. “We believe the addition of these category-leading brands and products along with our Linda McCartney and Daily Bread brands will create a powerhouse in the fresh and frozen natural sector in the United Kingdom. We believe the acquisition will also provide us with scale in our international operations to allow us to introduce some of our existing global brands — including Rice Dream, Celestial Seasonings, Earth’s Best, Terra Chips and Sensible Portions — in a more meaningful way in the marketplace.”

Daniels Group’s brands include New Covent Garden Soup Co., Johnson’s Juice Co. and Farmhouse Fare. Daniels has six facilities in the United Kingdom with headquarters in Leeds. Hain Celestial said it expects to consolidate business activities, including purchasing and procurement and warehousing and distribution.

“Over the years we have focused on the long-term growth of our products in the chilled category by investing in our brands with new product innovation and building customer loyalty,” said Rob Burnett, who will be c.e.o. of Hain Celestial United Kingdom. “With a consistent track record of delivering superior growth and profitable returns, we look forward to additional opportunities as part of Hain Celestial to leverage our footprint and expand into adjacent categories with their market-leading natural and organic brands.”