By Annie Gasparro and Mike Esterl 

Chobani Inc. said it rejected an offer from PepsiCo Inc. to buy a majority stake in the company.

The U.S. yogurt maker hired Goldman Sachs last summer to seek a partnership with a major food company.

Chobani said Friday it was only interested in selling a minority stake and Pepsico was only interested in a majority stake.

PepsiCo declined to comment Friday.

Chobani Founder and Chief Executive Hamdi Ulukaya presented his strategy to multiple companies, hoping a partnership would help propel Chobani into other product categories like dips and expand to other countries.

But now, the company plans to pursue those opportunities on its own, a Chobani executive told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

"The relationship with Goldman Sachs remains, and Chobani will continue to be open to exploring and hearing options to fuel its growth, but independence remains an important asset to the company," the executive said.

Write to Annie Gasparro at annie.gasparro@wsj.com and Mike Esterl at mike.esterl@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 05, 2016 20:47 ET (01:47 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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