Lundberg Partners With Nippon Restaurant Enterprise

Lundberg Partners With Nippon Restaurant Enterprise

RICHVALE, Calif.--Lundberg Family Farms has entered an equity partnership with Nippon Restaurant Enterprises (NRE) to feature Lundberg organic rice in ready-made Bento Box meals for Japan. The deal will result in 10,000 bento meals produced daily at a new plant in Fairfield, Calif., by NRE's new U.S. subsidiary, NRE World Bento. Initial production is set to begin in May 2001; the meals will be flash frozen and delivered to the Japanese market, where more than 6 million bento meals are consumed daily.

According to Grant Lundberg, CEO of Lundberg, the partnership links NRE to a company known for its organic, sustainable farming practices. "Foodservice companies in Japan are facing higher expectations of food and environmental safety," he said. The two primary Lundberg grains to be used are Akitakomatachi andmochi. The NRE partnership is the first equity partnership for Lundberg, which currently produces more than 60 percent of the organic rice grown in America. To learn more, visit www.lundberg.com or stop by Booth #1324 at SupplySide West.