Riviana Foods invests $15m in Memphis instant rice facility

Ebro subsidiary Riviana Foods has announced a $15 million investment to boost the production of its instant rice facility in Memphis, Tennessee.

The investment will include renovating and updating existing processing lines, controls and the rice transfer system.

As part of the project, Riviana Foods plans to replace one of the lines dedicated to the production of instant brown rice with new and improved equipment.

Riviana Foods says the renovations will increase reliability, volume output, productivity and efficiency, as well as advance its sustainability production process.

The announcement comes after a $27 million expansion in 2019 to double output at the facility for its Minute brand of microwavable rice.

“This is an exciting time for Riviana and our employees as we continue to improve our operations to meet or exceed customer needs in the years to come,” said Enrique Zaragoza, president and CEO of Riviana Foods. 

The investment comes after a series of divestitures by Riviana Foods including the sale of its Ronzoni dry pasta brand and the majority of its US branded pasta portfolio.

The project is expected to be completed in the third quarter.