Richardson International acquires Conagra’s Wesson cooking oil brand

Canadian agriculture and food processing company Richardson International has completed the acquisition of Wesson oil brand from packaged foods company Conagra Brands.

The transaction, which was signed in December 2018, included all assets exclusively associated with the Wesson brand, including the facility in Memphis, Tennessee.

With 120 employees working at the 280,000ft² Memphis manufacturing plant, the deal expands Richardson’s presence in the US and complements the company’s existing food and ingredients division.

Richardson International president and CEO Curt Vossen said: “This is a very exciting time for Richardson as we add strategic assets to strengthen and grow our food and ingredients business.

“Not only are we effectively increasing our profile in North America, but we are also enhancing our ability to meet the needs of a global marketplace with quality products.

“Richardson is committed to the Memphis plant, the employees, the local community and a continued US presence for marketing, manufacturing and distribution of Wesson products. We are proud of our long legacy of investing in and supporting the communities, in which our customers and employees live and work.”

Headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, Richardson International is a subsidiary of family-owned James Richardson & Sons.

Richardson is a manufacturer of oats and canola-based products. The company, which employs more than 2,700 people globally, also handles and merchandises grains and oilseeds.

For more than two decades, Richardson has been producing various food products and ingredients for the retail, food service and industrial markets.