SunOpta Inc. (STKL)

SunOpta Inc. was a food and beverage manufacturer incorporated in Canada and traded on both Nasdaq under the symbol STKL and the Toronto Stock Exchange under SOY. The company traced its origins to 1973, when it was established as Stake Technology Ltd. It adopted the SunOpta name in 2003, and in later years its principal executive offices were in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

In its later form, the company described itself as a North American supply chain solutions provider that made customized products for brands, retailers, and foodservice providers. Its focus was on plant-based and better-for-you categories, including shelf-stable plant-based beverages, broths, teas, nutritional beverages, and snack products. It sold through retail, club, foodservice, and e-commerce channels.

Earlier descriptions of the business divided it into a plant-based foods and beverages segment, with products and ingredients made from almond, soy, oat, coconut, and other bases and sunflower products, and a fruit-based foods and beverages segment, which produced frozen fruit, fruit toppings and preparations, and fruit snacks. Over the years SunOpta reshaped its portfolio, exiting or reducing several lines and investing in packaging capacity for beverage and snack products.

The company's manufacturing and co-packing relationships with large customers, together with its operational capabilities in aseptic packaging, made it of interest to larger beverage producers. Refresco Holding B.V. is a beverage bottler that supplies private label and branded customers in Europe and North America.

The sale was structured as a statutory plan of arrangement under section 192 of the Canada Business Corporations Act. Under the terms, shareholders were entitled to receive $6.50 per common share in cash. Shareholders approved the arrangement at a special meeting on April 16, 2026, and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued its final order on April 22, 2026.

SunOpta announced on May 1, 2026 that the arrangement had been completed, with an affiliate of Refresco acquiring all of the outstanding common shares. Registered shareholders were instructed to send a letter of transmittal with their share certificates or direct registration advices to the depositary, TSX Trust Company, while shareholders holding through brokers did not need to take separate action.

The company stated that its shares would be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, that it would apply to cease to be a reporting issuer under Canadian securities laws, and that it would deregister its securities under U.S. securities laws as soon as practicable. A Form 25 was filed on May 1, 2026.