SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Farmers’ Rice Cooperative (FRC), a rice marketing co-op based in California, recently introduced a new, vertically integrated ingredient company focused on delivering single-source solutions for food and pet food manufacturers.
The new company, Exceedient Foods, builds upon FRC’s 80-year legacy of feeding innovation for food brands and manufacturers across more than 65 countries. FRC’s grower-owned family farms in the Sacramento Valley offer full-service solutions that will now be leveraged to support Exceedient Foods.
“Exceedient Foods is rooted in the strength and resources of FRC, and this launch marks a major step forward in capabilities for our co-op and value for our family of growers,” said Rick Rhody, president and chief executive officer of FRC and Exceedient Foods. “With Exceedient, we can deliver the highest quality of ingredients and unmatched source transparency to more customers than ever before.”
Exceedient Foods’ portfolio includes brewers’ rice, rice flours and meals, granulated rice, grits, coatings, breadings and extruded grain-based products. The company is focused on enhancing taste, texture and cookability through these ingredient avenues, according to FRC, and offers a variety of health-focused differentiators including gluten-free, organic, non-GMO, kosher and allergen-free.
Farmers’ Rice Cooperative’s new Exceedient Foods provides gluten-free rice ingredient innovations to pet food and treat manufacturers. Pictured here is Farmers’ Rice Cooperative grower Herb Holzapfel and his dogs.
| Source: Farmers’ Rice Cooperative“Consumers believe that pets are family members and their diets matter,” commented Derek Alarcon, director of sales and marketing at Exceedient Foods. “They want to know where their own food and ingredients come from, and they want the same for their pets. The pet treat aisle continues to expand and consumers are growing more conscious of not only the specific diets that are best for their animals, but also the treats they’re giving their pets in between meals.
“The same gluten intolerances and allergies we’re seeing in humans are also increasing in animals, so the demand for high-quality, gluten-free and allergen-free treat options is also increasing,” he added. “As a grain and carbohydrate, rice is a popular and nutritious gluten-free ingredient for animal diets and can be applied to dry, wet, semi-moist and frozen/freeze-dried applications.”
Ingredient innovation is also a priority for Exceedient Foods, which is equipped with an in-house research and development team available to collaborate with brands and manufacturers to create solutions that meet their needs. The new company will also benefit from FRC’s reputation of high quality, consistency, safety and traceability.
“Farmers and their pets have always had a strong bond and, as a farmer owned cooperative, creating safe and healthy foods for pets is a priority,” Alarcon said. “As a source supplier, we understand the unique needs of each manufacturer and are here to partner and collaborate to support existing and new product creations through research and development and co-manufacturing.”
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