Ebro Foods to merge rice and pasta companies in US

Ebro Foods intends to merge its US-based rice and pasta companies, namely Riviana Foods, American Rice, and New World Pasta Company.

The firms will carry on the Riviana Foods name and be headquartered in Houston, Texas, with a satellite office in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

With this new merger, the companies will have manufacturing facilities in seven US states and Canada through Riviana Foods’ subsidiary, Catelli Foods.

Catelli Foods is the largest pasta manufacturer and distributor in Canada with offices in Toronto.

Riviana Foods president and CEO Bastiaan de Zeeuw said: “We have successfully brought together the core strengths of the companies, including an extensive portfolio of brands and products.

“In addition, by combining our operations and distribution networks, we will even better fulfill our commitment to customer service, product quality, better efficiencies, innovation and growth.”

The merger will be effective on 1 January next year, following which Ebro Foods will become the largest manufacturer and marketer of rice products, as well as the second largest producer and distributor of pasta products in the US.

In 2004, Ebro Foods entered the US market with its acquisition of Riviana Foods, which purchased American Rice in 2011.

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Image: Ebro Foods to merge its rice and pasta business. Photo: courtesy of KEKO64 via freedigitalphotos.net.