Dallas-based Verde Valle Foods has acquired Los Angeles-based A Dozen Cousins, a brand that specializes in ready-to-eat beans, rice, and seasoning sauces inspired by traditional Creole, Caribbean, and Latin American recipes.
With more than 16 years in the U.S., Verde Valle Foods manufactures, sells, and distributes rice and beans, and is also home to Isadora, a pioneer in ready-to-eat beans and authentic Mexican meals. It was the first brand to introduce beans in a pouch.
Ibraheem Basir, founder and CEO of A Dozen Cousins, will continue as general manager, leading the brand and its growth, Verde Valle said. No financial details were released.
Ready-to-eat meals in a pouch
“A Dozen Cousins fits right into our growth strategy for ready-to-eat meals in a pouch and will allow Verde Valle to further expand into the natural products segment,” Germán Rosales Jr., U.S. CEO of Verde Valle Foods, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have Ibraheem join our business, we can’t wait to work collaboratively and continue to bring delicious, natural products to consumers across the country.”
Basir said the acquisition will help A Dozen Cousins improve.
“I couldn’t be more excited to partner with the team at Verde Valle,” A Dozen Cousins’ Basir said in a statement. “They are trailblazers in the world of pouched meals, and they are going to dramatically strengthen the supply chain and make it easier to share our products with more people. At the same time, we will be able to invest more in innovation and marketing to continue building a brand that people love.”
Verde Valle Foods is the U.S. subsidiary of Verde Valle. which was founded in 1967. Verde Valle is a third-generation family-owned and operated manufacturer of rice, beans, grains, ingredients, and ready-to-eat meals in a pouch.
Founded in 2019, A Dozen Cousins was born from the comforting, flavorful recipes Basir grew up eating with his family after he noticed a gap in the market for authentic cultural foods that were also nutritious.
The brand’s flagship seasoned beans have built a loyal following over the years, and its innovative line of rice cooked in bone broth recorded double-digit growth over the last year, while sales in the prepared rice category were flat during that same period, Verde Valley said.
A Dozen Cousins’ line of beans, bone broth rices, and seasoning sauces can be found at retailers nationwide including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Fresh Market, Publix, Meijer, Target, Walmart, Kroger, Thrive Market, Wegmans and more.
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