Harvest States to acquire Rodriguez Festive Foods

Harvest States, the Ft. Worth, TX -based grains and foods division of CHS Cooperatives, has agreed to acquire Rodriquez Festive Foods, Inc., a Ft. Worth manufacturer of wheat and corn tortillas, tortilla chips and a full line of prepared Mexican foods. The transaction is scheduled to close January 2001. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Harvest States currently produces Arizona Brand, Cruz, El Gran Deli, La Canasta and Paradiso tortillas and Arizona Brand and La Canasta tortilla chips at plants in suburban Minneapolis, MN., and Phoenix, AZ. With the acquisition of Rodriguez Festive Foods, Harvest States will have combined annual sales of tortillas, tortilla chips and prepared Mexican foods of over US$65 million.

"Rodriguez Festive Foods has a rich history, excellent employees and well established Mexican food products," said Jim Tibbetts, senior VP for Harvest States. "We're very pleased that Rodriguez Festive Foods will be joining our growing Mexican food business."

CHS Cooperatives (St. Paul, MN) is a producer-to-consumer cooperative system owned by farmers, ranchers and their local cooperatives from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest, and from the Canadian border to Texas. Harvest States, its integrated grains and foods division, is a manufacturer of flour and corn tortillas, tortilla chips, salsa, prepared foods and other complimentary products.

Edited by Scott Hegenbart,
Managing Editor, Food Ingredients Online