Riviana Foods
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Riviana Foods, Inc. is a subsidiary of Ebro Foods, S.A. When it merged with American Rice Inc. and New World Pasta Co. in 2017, it became the largest manufacturer of rice and second largest of pasta in the United States. Its estimated sales revenue at the time was $1.5 billion.[1]
History
Early Years
Riviana dates back to the 1911 founding of the Louisiana State Rice Milling Company, Inc., a consortium of rice mills led by Frank Godchaux Sr. By 1931, the Louisiana State Rice Milling Company, Inc. introduced consumer-friendly packaging, including cellophane and kraft bags.[2]
Mergers & Acquisitions
In 1965, after the Louisiana State Rice Milling Company merged with River Brand Rice Mills, Inc, Riviana Foods, Inc. was formed.[3] After being acquired by Colgate-Palmolive in 1976, and then sold back to the Godchaux family in 1986, Riviana became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ in 1995.[2][4] Riviana was most recently acquired by Ebro Foods, S.A. in 2004.[1] In 2006, Riviana acquired Minute Rice, a brand of parboiled rice, from Kraft Foods.[5] When Riviana Foods merged with American Rice Inc. and New World Pasta Co. in 2017, the newly formed Riviana Foods Inc. because the parent company of pasta brands including No Yolks and rice brands including Minute Rice.[6]
Recent Events
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Riviana Foods has made large donates to emergency responders and food banks. In June 2020, Riviana donated 22,000 bags of rice to firefighters and food banks in Houston and the Bronx.[7][8]
In August 2020, after competitor brand Uncle Ben's announced it would phase out its logo because it depicted a racial stereotype[9], two teenagers from Atlanta petitioned Riviana Foods to remove the mascot from its Mahatma Rice packaging. The teens, Rohan and Rani Srivastava, complained that the mascot was an offensive depiction of stereotypical Indian man in a turban and kurta pajama pants.[10] In response to the petition, Riviana Foods removed the mascot from the Mahatma Rice website and pledged to remove the mascot from packaging by October 2020.[11]
See Also
References
- ^ a b "Spain-based food co. to combine brands into Houston-based business". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Riviana Foods Inc. - Timeline". www.riviana.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ "History of Riviana Foods Inc. – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ Koshetz, Herbert (1976-02-13). "Colgate Slates Riviana Merger". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ "Riviana parent to buy Minute Rice". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Smith, Mike D. (2016-12-14). "Ebro Foods to merge U.S. businesses into Houston subsidiary". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ^ "Riviana Foods Donates Over 22,000 Bags of Rice to COVID-19 Frontline Firefighters and local Houston Food Banks | Markets Insider". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Inc, Riviana Foods. "Riviana Foods Donates Over 22,000 Bags of Rice to COVID-19 Frontline Firefighters in the Bronx". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Business, Jordan Valinsky, CNN. "Uncle Ben's and Mrs. Butterworth's follow Aunt Jemima phasing out racial stereotypes in logos". CNN. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Indo-American Teens End Racist Logo of "Mahatma Rice" from Houston's Riviana Foods | Indo American News". Retrieved 2020-09-22.
- ^ "Atlanta siblings instrumental in pushing Mahatma brand rice to drop logo depicting negative stereotype". 11Alive.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.