"The acquisition of the Watts Brothers entities will strengthen Lamb Weston's position in its core Northwest growing region, providing a more stable raw material base while also strengthening the Lamb Weston supply chain,"said Gary Rodkin, chief executive officer of ConAgra Foods. "Additionally, Watts Brothers' strong position in vegetables will complement existing potato product sales in both existing and new markets, providing additional opportunities for sales growth."
Jeff DeLapp, president of ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston, added, "For the last 10 years, ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston has enjoyed a successful business relationship with Watts Brothers, via a farming joint venture. With the addition of the Watts Brothers business, we not only deepen our relationship in farming, but add capabilities and capacity in frozen storage, vegetable processing, and organic dairy. In addition to our farming relationship, Watts Brothers has become, over time, a leading supplier of frozen vegetables to ConAgra Foods' Consumer Foods business. Further, we look forward to the synergy of working with their talented management team."
"At Watts Brothers, we have always taken a great deal of pride in our strong focus on customer service and our sustainable business model,"said Don Odegard, president of Watts Brothers. "This agreement is a major milestone for our company as it allows us to leverage the incredible reach and expertise of ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston. The result is a much stronger business for both companies."
The acquisition of Watts Brothers includes a vegetable processing facility, an organic dairy, and a refrigerated warehouse and packaging facility. The Watts Brothers farming operation consists of more than 20,000 acres of land.
