Riviana Invests $15M to Increase Capacity at Instant Rice Plant

North American rice products processor and distributor Riviana Foods Inc. revealed plans Tuesday for a $15 million expansion project at its Memphis, TN production facility to increase capacity for instant rice and make improvements to the site’s production capabilities.

During the project, the food company intends to renovate and upgrade several production lines, controls, and the site’s rice transfer system. One line in the plant will be replaced with new assets to support the production oof instant brown rice.

Riviana said the effort will boost the site’s reliability, volume output, productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

“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,” Enrique Zaragoza, the company’s CEO and president, said in a release. “In addition, we look forward to many more years of successful partnership between Riviana and the community.”

Work on the project is project to reach completion in the third quarter of this year.

Riviana recently sold the dry pasta brand Ronzoni to the Post Holdings private brand company 8th Avenue Food & Provisions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company entered into a definitive agreement to sell most of its US branded pasta portfolio, including the Prince, Creamette, and American Beauty brands, to TreeHouse Foods Inc. in November 2020. The company said at the time that it planned to retain the Ronzoni brand.