Olson Communications has finalized an agreement to acquire Y-Pulse LLC.
This subsidiary is the latest addition to the Olson Communications’ portfolio of trademarked services that provide unique and in-depth insight exclusively to clients in the food industry. Y-Pulse has built a practice focused on young consumers and the foodservice professionals who serve them in schools and colleges across the U.S. since 2005.
“The acquisition of Y-Pulse brings us closer to an important group of customers and allows us to deploy some of the infrastructure we have built to support our Culinary Visions practice to the education segments,” says Sharon Olson, Olson Communications’ founder and president.
Tami Cline, co-founder of Y-Pulse, says, “I am looking forward to continuing to work as a senior consultant to Y-Pulse in the K through 12 segment of the industry. We have collaborated on projects with Olson Communications and combining our resources in a more formal way allows us to be more efficient and effective for our clients.”
Y-Pulse LLC is a research and consulting firm that specializes in helping companies in the food business better understand tomorrow’s tastemakers, today. Y-Pulse created the Dream Kitchen Survey that has been widely published in the foodservice trade press.
Other recent studies by Y-Pulse include Social Media–What’s Next and Convenience Retail on Campus. Both of these studies were presented at the National Association of College and University Food Services Annual Conferences. The Y-Pulse School Vending study received the Child Nutrition Showcase Award for Research from the School Nutrition Association.
As senior dining emerged as an important micro-segment in foodservice and a new business opportunity for college and university campuses, Olson Communications’ Culinary Visions Panel and Y-Pulse collaborated on a Senior Dining study that was published by the Dietary Managers Association.
As channels of business in the food industry continue to evolve and overlap, the combined resources of both companies will provide more in-depth consumer insight for marketers focused on reaching the consumers of today and tomorrow.
