Veetee Foods, a family-owned UK rice products business, plans to open its first manufacturing facility in the US.
The company will channel a $36m investment into a new site in Selma, Johnson County in North Carolina state, to establish what it describes as a “major production plant”. The project is expected to create 200 jobs.
Set up in 1986 by Moni Varma and with his son Rajiv now running the day-to-day operations, the business produces varieties of own-brand bagged rice such as basmati and jasmine, along with microwaveable rice pots.
It recently launched the NoodleHead line of instant noodles, and convenience foods such as pasta, ramen and mac ‘n’ cheese under the HungryHeads brand.
A spokesperson for Veetee Foods revealed another brand, a Steam Filtered rice range, which has been “steadily growing its US consumer following and gaining distribution across the US grocery retail network for many years”.
In the UK, where the company trades as Veetee Food Group, the range of products are available in all the major UK supermarkets and online through its own website.
The Varma team said in a statement: “We are delighted to see our ambitious expansion vision reach the USA and we see Johnston County as our perfect partner.
“We are humbled by this opportunity and are equally excited to unleash a wide range of delicious meals that families across the country will no doubt enjoy.”
The spokesperson confirmed that Veetee Foods operates out of two manufacturing plants in the UK and also has a factory in Sonipat, India. The company serves the UK, the US, Europe, the Middle East and Australasia.
The business employs around 1,000 people worldwide, Veetee Foods said in the statement.
North Carolina state is supporting the Selma project with a Job Development Investment Grant over a 12-year period, including funding of almost $1m over the term.
“It’s great to see another international company like Veetee Foods decide that North Carolina is the perfect place to expand their presence in the United States,” said state Governor Roy Cooper.
“Our state’s talented workforce and worker training systems, along with our infrastructure and transportation networks give companies the confidence they seek in a world-class business location like Johnston County.”
The Veetee Foods spokesperson added: “We have completed the planning phase, secured the site and are ready to push ahead with the implementation phase for this brand new, state-of-the-art facility.
“We’re ready to commence the necessary building works and plan to be fully operational in the second half of 2025.”
