Verde Valle Foods has finalized a deal to acquire A Dozen Cousins, a U.S.-based food business specializing in beans, rice, and seasoning products rooted in Caribbean and Latin American recipes.
The companies have not disclosed the financial terms of the deal.
Founded in 2019 by Ibraheem Basir, A Dozen Cousins creates products inspired by Creole, Caribbean, and Latin American culinary traditions, which are now available at retailers from Walmart to Whole Foods Market.
Basir will remain with the brand as General Manager.
In a LinkedIn post announcing the acquisition, he emphasized that the “biggest challenge” for the business in recent years “has been to physically keep up with the demand for our products.”
He detailed that Verde Valle Foods are “pioneers” in the pouched meals segment, noting that the takeover will “dramatically strengthen our supply chain and make it easier to share our products with more people.”
“At the same time, we will be able to invest more in innovation and marketing to continue building a brand that people love,” Basir added.
Verde Valle Foods represents the U.S. arm of Verde Valle, a third-generation family-owned Mexican company established in 1967.
Germán Rosales Jr., U.S. CEO of Verde Valle Foods, stated: “A Dozen Cousins fits right into our growth strategy for ready-to-eat meals in a pouch and will allow Verde Valle to further expand into the natural products segment.”
Headquartered in Texas, Verde Valle Foods has been operational in the U.S. for 16 years.
The company manufactures, sells, and distributes ready-to-eat beans and Mexican meals, claiming to be the “first brand” to introduce beans in a pouch.
Its portfolio includes not only its namesake rice and beans brand but also the Isadora brand, which offers beans-in-pouch and refried beans.
Recently, private equity firm Apex Capital has acquired a majority stake in California-based Mexican-style foods business Juanita’s Foods.
Juanita’s Foods provides a variety of shelf-stable Mexican staples, including menudo, pozole, hominy, albondigas, and nacho cheese.
