Atwater canner adds Mexican products

Teasdale Foods Inc., which cans beans and hominy in Atwater, has bought the Mexican food business of Bruce Foods Corp. of New Iberia, La.

The purchase, at an undisclosed price, provides Teasdale with the Casa Fiesta, Viva Mexico and Mexene brands. The Texas-made products include beans, peppers, sauces, corn items and seasonings.

This is the fourth in a series of acquisitions for Teasdale, which dates to the 1930s. In 2012, it bought Zateca Foods, which produces beans, peas and lentils in Greeley, Colo. The same year, it purchased Hoopeston Foods, a bean producer in Hoopeston, Ill. Last year, Teasdale acquired Jardine Foods, which makes Southwestern products in Buda, Texas.

Teasdale employs 170 people at its plant just east of Highway 99 and 196 people at other locations.

Bruce Foods will continue with other products, including marinades, seasonings, sauce mixes, pancake mix and outdoor cooking appliances.

Elsewhere on the Farm Beat:

The state has awarded three grants totaling $249,352 in the latest round of funding from the sale of license plates with a pro-farming message:

▪ $212,000 went to leadership and program development at California Future Farmers of America. The Galt-based group serves nearly 80,000 students at 324 chapters, many of them in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

▪ $24,722 went to the California State Fair in Sacramento to support its 3-acre demonstration farm.

▪ $12,630 was granted to the Stanley W. Strew Education Fund, based in Sacramento, to provide 35 high school teachers with training and resource kits on plant science.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture awarded the grants, which are for FFA, 4-H and other ag ed causes. Since 2012, more than 25,000 motorists have paid an extra fee for plates that read “California agriculture” along with their license numbers.

“Agricultural education helps to connect consumers to our farms and ranches and provides a greater appreciation for California’s agricultural diversity,” said department Secretary Karen Ross in a news release.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Atwater canner adds Mexican products."