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Last week, New Berlin, New York-based yogurt maker Chobani said it would purchase La Colombe Coffee for $900 million.

The news, which was first reported by Fast Company, brings together two companies that captured the attention of the food world in the 2000s.

"I've always had this dream of putting these amazing brands together," says Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya. "The timing couldn't be better. We are finishing a year of strong performance, and bringing in one of the most authentic coffee brands to the Chobani platform unleashes more innovation, delivering good food for all."

Ulukaya launched his company in 2005, making thick, low-sugar yogurt out of an abandoned Kraft yogurt-making facility and helping spark the Greek yogurt craze in the U.S. Chobani also became known for its generous benefits and compensation -- and for hiring large numbers of immigrants and refugees.

Philadelphia-based La Colombe, meanwhile, was founded in 1994 by Todd Carmichael and JP Iberti, and started out selling premium coffee through its retail stores and to high-end restaurants. In 2016, the company introduced its most popular item, a canned latte that uses nitrogen to create its signature foam.

The ties between the companies go back to 2012, when Chobani began serving La Colombe coffee at a cafe the yogurt-maker runs in Manhattan. In 2014, Ulukaya bought a controlling stake in La Colombe for $60 million, and he has been working as a behind-the-scenes adviser ever since.

This summer, Keurig Dr Pepper invested $300 million in La Colombe, and its coffee recently became available in Keurig's K-Cups. With this deal, Keurig Dr Pepper will continue to distribute La Colombe and take on a minority stake in Chobani. Chobani is buying Ulukaya out of his personal stake in La Colombe, Fast Company reports. La Colombe will operate as an independent brand within Chobani.

In 2016, Ulukaya gave employees a 10 percent stake in the company, which could make longtime employees very wealthy if Chobani goes public or is sold. In recent years, Chobani has reportedly explored going public, but Ulukaya has said this acquisition shows that for now Chobani can continue to grow without an IPO.

But one change is coming: Ulukaya says La Colombe employees will now be eligible for the generous benefits Chobani is known for. "There will be no difference between La Colombe and Chobani when it comes to employee wages, compensation, and benefit offerings at equivalent levels," he says. "La Colombe people will have the same profits and share options like Chobani employees."

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