PIGEON ACQUIRES NOURISH, BRINGING MORE BRAND-BUILDING EXPERTISE TO THE TABLE
TORONTO, Oct. 28, 2026 /CNW/ -- The two independent Canadian agencies are cooking something new, blending creative expertise, social and digital capabilities, and a shared appetite for making brands come true.
For nearly 50 years, PIGEON has been building brands from scratch, here and abroad. From strategy and innovation to design, packaging, shopper marketing and integrated campaigns, the agency has made a name for itself creating brands that don't just look good, but connect with people in meaningful ways, generating ROI for its clients. All grounded in a simple philosophy: great stories are by design.
Now, with NOURISH joining the mix, there's even more on the menu.
Originally founded as a digital agency, NOURISH has grown into a food and beverage marketing powerhouse, bringing deep consumer intelligence, multicultural insights, social and digital expertise, experiential marketing and content creation to the table in Canada and the United States.
Together, the two agencies are combining their strengths to create a more complete, connected creative offering. One that can take a brand from its very first spark of an idea to the packaging on the shelf, the content in your feed as well as the campaigns and experiences that make it happen.
But the acquisition is about more than adding services. It's about bringing together the right people, perspectives and capabilities to create something greater.
With NOURISH comes an in-house kitchen, studio and culinary expertise, opening up new opportunities for recipe development, food styling, photography, video and social-first content, and creative experimentation. A place where ideas can be created, tested, refined and brought to life, all under one roof.
"We've always believed that understanding people, culture and what makes them tick is essential to building brands that matter", says Elyse Boulet, CEO and Managing Partner of PIGEON. "While food and beverage represent an important area of shared expertise, the strategic value of the acquisition extends across all of PIGEON's client portfolio. NOURISH brings an additional depth of expertise that complements what we've spent nearly 50 years building a bit differently than most agencies. It also gives clients access to a broader range of complementary capabilities, expanding our ability to connect the foundations of a brand with the content and experiences that bring it to life through one integrated team. The result is an agency with greater agility, more ways to create and the ability to move from concept to execution without too many cooks in the kitchen."
For Jo-Ann McArthur, Founder of NOURISH Marketing, the partnership is a natural fit. "Great brands are built by bringing the right ingredients together," says McArthur. "Joining PIGEON gives us the depth and reach we've been looking for while continuing to leverage our specialized expertise in food and beverage marketing. We have built our reputation as a food and beverage authority, bringing deep food intelligence, test kitchen research, multicultural insights, digital and social marketing, experiential activation, culinary strategy and content creation to the table. Combined with PIGEON's platform, we can elevate our fluency in food, while further strengthening our social and digital expertise through our combined teams for a larger and more diversified client base, and drive brand impact at every touchpoint."
The acquisition of NOURISH by PIGEON, a transaction supported by Kairos Capital Management, its strategic growth partner, represents another important step in PIGEON's strategy to expand its capabilities, national reach and create an even stronger platform for continued growth across Canada and the United States.
The transaction was advised by Doug Baxter and Simon Morgan of Agency Futures, the global M&A advisory firm specializing in marketing and creative agencies. They identified PIGEON as the strongest strategic and cultural fit for NOURISH and guided McArthur through the transaction to completion. "PIGEON shares NOURISH's values, its passion for food and beverage brands and its ambition to grow. It's a great example of independent agencies coming together to be stronger together" said Doug Baxter, Managing Partner of Agency Futures.
"The acquisition also expands PIGEON's national presence," adds Boulet. The agency will expand its Toronto and Montreal teams, and extend its footprint through combined talent in Vancouver and Ottawa. All NOURISH employees and capabilities will come together under the PIGEON brand, creating one unified agency with a shared culture, a broader range of talent and a bigger appetite for ambitious ideas.
But as we all know, the proof is in the pudding. And the pasta. And everything else on the table. So if you're wondering about the dishes you see in the photos, well, they were whipped up by PIGEON's very own in-house chef, using products from the brands PIGEON and NOURISH know and love (and happen to work with). A great example of what happens when the right ingredients come together.
And because we're not ones to keep a good recipe to ourselves, we're sharing them all with you here courtesy of PIGEON.
Bon appétit!
ABOUT PIGEON
WE MAKE BRANDS COME TRUE
Founded in 1977, PIGEON is an independent brand agency with offices in Montreal and Toronto.
Combining strategy, design, communications, shopper marketing, advertising, social, digital and experiential expertise, PIGEON helps organizations build brands that are buyable, lovable and recommendable. The agency serves clients across Canada and the United States from sectors including retail, food and beverage, CPG, financial services and beyond.
ABOUT KAIROS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Kairos Capital Management is a Canadian investment firm that partners with established businesses and their management teams to support long-term growth and value creation. Kairos provides strategic expertise and capital to help its portfolio companies strengthen their capabilities, accelerate organic growth and pursue strategic acquisitions.
ABOUT AGENCY FUTURES
Agency Futures is a global M&A advisory firm specializing in marketing services, helping independent agencies build value, find strategic partners and navigate acquisitions.
SOURCE Pigeon+Nourish
Elyse Boulet, CEO & Managing Partner, [email protected], 514-641-1773
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