Sovos sales up, Birch Benders deal boosts expenses

LOUISVILLE — Sovos Brands Inc. (Nasdaq: SOVO), a formerly California-based food-brand company that last year planted its headquarters flag in Louisville, saw its sales jump double-digits in the second quarter, but expenses related to its acquisition of Denver waffle mix maker Birch Benders LLC also pushed its net loss upward. 

Net sales were $197.4 million, a 22.0% increase over the same period last year.

That was enough to excite Wall Street, which bid up the price of Sovos’ stock more than 7% in early trading Thursday. 

Sovos’ net loss was $30.3 million or 30 cents per diluted share. That’s up from…