Richardson International has purchased the Wesson U.S. cooking oil brand from Conagra Brands.
The purchase includes the 280,000 sq. foot Memphis, Tennessee, production facility.
“We are excited about expanding into this geography and look forward to investing in the future of this plant, the employees and the community,” Richardson president Curt Vossen said in a news release.
The Wesson brand of canola and vegetable oils has been in existence for more than a century and is a common household name in the U.S. marketplace.
“We believe that consumers will continue to seek out high quality foods and aligning with the Wesson brand expands our ability to meet that consumer desire,” he said.
The company plans to use its currently under-construction $30 million food innovation centre for “testing solutions and exploring new ideas,” for the Wesson brand.
Richardson expects the transaction to be finalized in the first quarter of 2019.
Contact sean.pratt@producer.com
