INDUSTRYNEWS
Ranir Acquires Steripod
Blount Fine Foods Moves Into Portland Facility Prepared foods company Blount Fine Foods is getting some new manufacturing digs. The Fall River, Mass.-based maker of prepared soups, entrees and side dishes for retail and foodservice, and a leader in private label soups specifically, has purchased a manufacturing facility in Portland, Ore., gaining 80,000 sq. ft. of production capacity for its products. The Portland facility joins the company’s three other production sites, which include its Massachusetts headquarters and facilities in Warren, R.I., and McKinney, Texas. Alongside the new facility, Blount Fine Foods has added a third-party logistics partner with the aim of expanding its distribution and logistics nationwide. Currently, the company has third-party logistics locations in Taunton, Mass., Fort Worth, Texas, and Atlanta, with plans to
add two more in Oregon and the Midwest this year. In the coming months, the company said it plans to invest more than $25 million in the Portland facility to ensure it is state-of-theart and ready for the next soup season, which starts in July. The investment will include a spiral hydro chiller for quick-chilling soups and proprietary cooking kettles large enough to bring production efficiencies but small enough for the soups to largely be made in small batches by hand. Blount provides private label soups to retailers nationwide and makes its broader portfolio of products available to stores. Blount said the company expects to employ roughly 50 people once the facility opens in the latter half of 2020. By the time the site is fully operational in 2021, the company said it expects to employ roughly 150 there.
Store brand oral care product manufacturer Ranir has acquired the oral care assets of Steripod, a Culver City, Calif.-based toothbrush accessory brand that makes toothbrush protectors, kids’ products and tongue cleaners. Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Ranir — a subsidiary of Perrigo — said it sees the acquisition as a way to build out its innovation platform and grow its portfolio of store brand oral care products, notably the expansion of a product line dedicated to the self-care trend in the oral care category. Currently, the company produces a range of oral care store brand products that includes powered and manual toothbrushes, teeth whiteners, dental floss, toothbrush protectors, flossers and more. Rich Sorota, president and CEO of Ranir, said the acquisition advances the company’s mission and enhances its ability to grow and offer consumers quality, affordable oral health care products. “Steripod is a leading innovator in the toothbrush protector category,” he said. “Our organizations are jointly dedicated to ensuring customer health and safety through innovative products, and we are better positioned than ever to execute on our commitment to ‘Delivering Millions of Affordable, Healthy Smiles’ every day.” Ranir said it will add in Steripod’s oral care products into its broader portfolio over time.
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February 2020
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Store Brands
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