Reily Foods Company
Encyclopedia
Reily Foods Company is the primary division of the independently held Wm. B. Reily & Company Inc., specializing in the processing, packaging and distribution of food and beverage products. Though the company started in the coffee
and tea
business, it has since diversified through acquisitions and innovations to include condiments, dressings, seasonings, and baking products to its list of product offerings. They produce foods that are available nationally, most notably their Luzianne
Iced Tea
, but tend to have greater distribution and demand in the Southern United States
. The Reily Foods Company is headquartered in Central Business District of New Orleans, LA.
. Only two years later, Reily moved 25 miles south to Monroe, LA where he started the Southern Grocery Company, Inc., a wholesale grocery business. During this time he noticed the popularity of his coffee products and realized that he could create a profitable coffee roasting business. After 14 years of building and running his successful wholesale business in Monroe, Reily moved to New Orleans to start what would become the Reily Foods Company.
On December 11, 1902, Reily and his partners began their coffee roasting, grinding and distributing company in New Orleans. At the time, more than 85% of all coffee beans imported into the United States passed through New Orleans so it gave Reily first choice of the best coffee beans available. Later the next year, the company added to its products offerings as a convenience to its customers. Both his coffee and tea products were sold under the Luzianne
(a regional pronunciation of Louisiana) brand name that he created. In 1906 the company was renamed the Reily Taylor Company and then later, in 1919, became Wm. B. Reily & Co., Inc.
In 1932, noticing the increased popularity of iced tea, especially in the South, Reily and his sons created a blend of tea made specifically to be used for iced tea. Luzianne Iced Tea has since become the cornerstone product of the company and the second best selling iced tea in the United States.
In 1974, Reily purchased Blue Plate Foods from the Hunt-Wesson Company, which added Blue Plate Mayonnaise
to their list of brands. Blue Plate was the first commercially prepared mayonnaises and is one of the most popular brands of mayonnaise in the South. Over the next 30 years, Reily acquired several brands from both regional and national companies. They include Swans Down Cake Flour, Try Me Sauces & Seasonings (namely Tiger Sauce), Wick Fowler’s 2-Alarm Chili, La Martinique Salad Dressings, Carroll Shelby
’s Original Texas-Style Chili
, Old Dutch
Salad Dressing, Bean Cuisine Soups, Presto Cake Flour, No Pudge Fat Free Brownie Mix, and a controlling interest in Abita Springs Water Co.
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
business, it has since diversified through acquisitions and innovations to include condiments, dressings, seasonings, and baking products to its list of product offerings. They produce foods that are available nationally, most notably their Luzianne
Luzianne
Luzianne is the brand name for a line of Southern beverages and packaged goods, most famously Luzianne coffee and iced tea. Though most Luzianne products are available throughout the country, the popularity of the brand rests mainly in the Southern United States...
Iced Tea
Iced tea
Iced tea is a form of cold tea, often served in a glass with ice. It may or may not be sweetened. Iced tea is also a popular packaged drink. It can be mixed with flavored syrup, with common flavors including lemon, peach, raspberry, lime, passion fruit, and cherry...
, but tend to have greater distribution and demand in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. The Reily Foods Company is headquartered in Central Business District of New Orleans, LA.
History
William B. Reily began his career in the grocery and packaged goods business in the late 1870s as a country store clerk in Bastrop, LA. After spending eight years in that position, Reily decided to open his own retail grocery storeGrocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
. Only two years later, Reily moved 25 miles south to Monroe, LA where he started the Southern Grocery Company, Inc., a wholesale grocery business. During this time he noticed the popularity of his coffee products and realized that he could create a profitable coffee roasting business. After 14 years of building and running his successful wholesale business in Monroe, Reily moved to New Orleans to start what would become the Reily Foods Company.
On December 11, 1902, Reily and his partners began their coffee roasting, grinding and distributing company in New Orleans. At the time, more than 85% of all coffee beans imported into the United States passed through New Orleans so it gave Reily first choice of the best coffee beans available. Later the next year, the company added to its products offerings as a convenience to its customers. Both his coffee and tea products were sold under the Luzianne
Luzianne
Luzianne is the brand name for a line of Southern beverages and packaged goods, most famously Luzianne coffee and iced tea. Though most Luzianne products are available throughout the country, the popularity of the brand rests mainly in the Southern United States...
(a regional pronunciation of Louisiana) brand name that he created. In 1906 the company was renamed the Reily Taylor Company and then later, in 1919, became Wm. B. Reily & Co., Inc.
In 1932, noticing the increased popularity of iced tea, especially in the South, Reily and his sons created a blend of tea made specifically to be used for iced tea. Luzianne Iced Tea has since become the cornerstone product of the company and the second best selling iced tea in the United States.
Major acquisitions
For the first half of the 20th century, Wm. B. Reily & Co. and the Reily Foods Company remained a producer of only Luzianne coffee and tea products. It wasn’t until its 1965 acquisition of the JFG Coffee Company that Reily Foods began diversifying their product offerings. Though JFG brought with them mostly coffee brands and production facilities, Reily also acquired a small regional mayonnaise brand. Three years later, Reily acquired CDM coffee from Blue Plate Foods, a wildly popular brand of coffee in New Orleans that had been around since before the turn of the century.In 1974, Reily purchased Blue Plate Foods from the Hunt-Wesson Company, which added Blue Plate Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
to their list of brands. Blue Plate was the first commercially prepared mayonnaises and is one of the most popular brands of mayonnaise in the South. Over the next 30 years, Reily acquired several brands from both regional and national companies. They include Swans Down Cake Flour, Try Me Sauces & Seasonings (namely Tiger Sauce), Wick Fowler’s 2-Alarm Chili, La Martinique Salad Dressings, Carroll Shelby
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby is an American retired automotive designer and racing driver. He is most well known for making Mustangs for Ford Motor Company known as Mustang Cobras which he has done since 1965...
’s Original Texas-Style Chili
Chili con carne
Chili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
, Old Dutch
Old Dutch
In linguistics, Old Dutch denotes the forms of West Franconian spoken and written in the Netherlands and present-day northern Belgium during the Early Middle Ages. It is regarded as the primary stage in the development of a separate Dutch language...
Salad Dressing, Bean Cuisine Soups, Presto Cake Flour, No Pudge Fat Free Brownie Mix, and a controlling interest in Abita Springs Water Co.
The Reily family
Throughout its 100+ years of existence, the Wm. B. Reily & Company and the Reily Foods Company has been run by a member of the Reily family. From 1902 to 1932, William B. Reily led the company from a startup coffee roasting company to one of the region’s top suppliers of coffee and tea products. From 1932 to 1968, his two sons (William B. Reily, Jr. and James W. Reily) took control of the company, leading it to rapid expansion in the coffee and tea markets. In 1968, William B. Reily III took control of the company and in the years since has led the diversification of its product offerings through product innovations and acquisitions. Currently, the fourth generation of family, Bo Reily, serves as president of the Abita Springs Water Company, a subsidiary of Reily Foods.Brands
- Luzianne
- Luzianne Iced Tea
- Luzianne Iced Tea Flavorings
- Luzianne Coffees
- Luzianne Cajun Creole Dinners
- Luzianne Cajun Seasonings
- Bonus Blend Coffees
- JFG Coffees
- JFG Mayonnaise
- Coffee Partner Ground Chicory
- Blue Plate Mayonnaise
- La Martinique Dressings
- Old Dutch Sweet & Sour Dressing
- Try Me Sauces & Seasoning
- Bean Cuisine Soups
- Carroll Shelby Chili
- Wick Fowler
- Wick Fowler’s Chili
- Wick Fowler’s Taco Seasoning
- Swans Down Cake Flour
- Presto Self-Rising Cake Flour
- No Pudge! Fat Free Brownie Mix