Riviana Foods expands Memphis rice plant with $27m investment

Riviana Foods plans to spend $27 million to expand production capacity for its Minute brand of microwaveable rice at its plant in Memphis.

This expansion, which will double output at the facility, represents the second time in three years that Ebro Foods-owned Riviana has implemented a project to improve its ready-to-serve production capabilities at the 400,000-square-foot processing and packaging plant

There are 19 varieties of rice in the Minute Ready to Serve line, including jasmine rice, multi-grain medley and organic brown rice.

According to Enrique Zaragoza, Riviana’s COO, the company is expanding its operations as a result of the increased demand for ready-to-serve products in the US.

“We will be in a stronger position to meet or exceed customer needs for the product,” he said. “Just as important, this investment confirms our commitment as a partner with our employees and the Memphis business community.”

As a result of the expansion, approximately 25 additional jobs will be created in production, shipping, maintenance and supervision, taking the total number of employees at the plant to 384.

Houston-headquartered Riviana Foods also owns brands such as Mahatma, Success, Carolina and Comet.

Earlier this year, Riviana’s parent company, Ebro Foods, acquired the Tilda rice brand from Hain Celestial for $342 million.