Irwin Simon, CEO, Hain Celestial Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Shares of Hain Celestial dropped Friday on a report in the New York Post describing the company's sale prospects as grim due to its "overload" of brands. Indeed, Hain's many brands have complicated a sale process for quite some time. Some of the country's biggest food companies have already looked and passed. But this year, several factors — continued pressure on Big Food, Hain itself and even tax reform — may finally lead to a deal transpiring.

The challenges

The primary challenge has been that the company is a collection of seemingly haphazard brands and businesses: its protein business (Empire Kosher Poultry, Plainville Farms), its personal care business (Alba Botanica, Avalon Organics), and its snacks and other foods (Terra Chips, Ella's Kitchen). There has never been a clear buyer for all of these businesses, but there has been for select parts. The personal care business could make sense for Unilever. The protein business could work for Tyson or Pilgrim's Pride. The snack business could be attractive for a number of food giants, if not for the fact that Hain's larger brands, such as Celestial Seasonings, are swarmed by brands that have less than $75 million in revenue. It takes a lot of money for big food companies to turn small bits of revenue into large national brands. Companies have been largely averse to making that gamble on Hain. Hain's founder and CEO, Irwin Simon, led the acquisitions and management of these small brands himself. Companies have been concerned that without his knowledge and relationships it might be uniquely difficult to pass the torch.

What's changed