Westrock Coffee Co., whose clients include convenience stores and travel centers, has acquired Bixby Roasting Co.
Terms of the recent deal were not disclosed between Westrock Coffee, an integrated coffee, tea, flavors, extracts and ingredients solutions provider, and Bixby Roasting, a specialty-grade roaster in the emerging influencer-led brand space.
Westrock also does business in the retail, foodservice, restaurant, consumer-packaged goods and hospitality industries.
The acquisition, which includes Bixby’s roasting facility in Los Angeles, where it is based, will continue to expand Westrock Coffee’s omnichannel product marketing and development resources as it capitalizes on shifting consumer consumption trends, said Westrock Coffee, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Bixby co-founders Miles Fisher and Remington Hotchkis, both of whom will be joining the Westrock Coffee senior management team, launched the company in 2017.
“We are delighted to welcome Miles and Remington to the Westrock Coffee team. Their collective insight in sales, product development and operational execution will be invaluable to our expanding list of premium customers,” said Scott Ford, CEO and co-founder of Westrock Coffee.
“The emergence of influencer-led brands has created a new sales channel in the beverage business, and Bixby is at the forefront of its development,” said Elizabeth McLaughlin, Westrock Coffee executive vice president of sales. “Miles and Remington bring a depth of knowledge on these emerging channels that we are adding to the Westrock Coffee portfolio, including the co-creation of new influencer brands that are particularly appealing to young consumers.”
Fisher will serve as senior vice president of sales while Hotchkis will be vice president of sales.
“Remington and I are thrilled to take our careers and company to the next level by joining forces with Westrock Coffee,” Fisher said. “Scott and his team continue to grow with their impressive customer base and look to serve their customers not only through traditional private brand offerings but also through the creation of products for specific customer segments and influencer-based brands. With the resources and momentum that Westrock Coffee brings, we are ready to get to work and fuel the product development and e-commerce offerings of the company.”
Westrock Coffee provides more than 20 million cups of coffee to the world daily, it said. The company is also the largest custom and private-label coffee and tea provider to restaurants in the United States by volume and the second largest coffee extract provider in ready-to-drink coffee. Westrock Coffee sources from more than 1.5 million smallholder farmers in 35 countries.
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