Southeastern Mills, Inc., Rome, Ga., said it purchased The Original Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce™ and related assets from Bruce Foods Corporation, New Iberia, La. Officials say the deal includes all brands and intellectual property related to the hot sauce business, as well as the manufacturing and warehouse facilities in New Iberia.

An 80-year-old product, The Original Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce™ is made with three all-natural ingredients including hand-picked, sun-ripened, long cayenne chile peppers. The brand features a red dot on the label, can be found in all major U.S. grocers as well as restaurants from coast-to-coast. It also is a key ingredient in many food products found on grocery shelves and in restaurant dishes. It is distributed in more than 60 countries.

Other brands acquired include Louisiana wing sauce, Red Rooster® hot sauce, Louisiana Gold® Pepper Sauce, Louisiana brand Tabasco Peppers in Vinegar, and Bruce’s® Tabasco Peppers in Vinegar. The newly acquired brands will operate under the company name “The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce Company.”

“This strategic acquisition adds yet another strong brand to the growing Southeastern Mills family,” says

Linda Owens, president, Southeastern Mills, Inc. “Hot sauces and bold flavors are rapidly growing in popularity and the Original Louisiana hot sauce products have helped drive that growth. We’re excited about this addition, as it strengthens our retail portfolio and gives us more products to sell to our foodservice and industrial customers.”

“Southeastern Mills is a family business that shares our values and vision,” adds J.S. “Si” Brown III, Bruce Foods president and CEO. “They will be good stewards of the hot sauce business we’ve built over the past seven decades.”

Southeastern Mills is a fourth-generation, professionally managed food company with industrial, foodservice and branded consumer businesses. Its industrial and foodservice groups supply batters and breadings; breadcrumbs; seasonings, marinades, sauces and gravies; and a variety of specialty ingredients.

The company operates four Safe Quality Food (SQF) Level 3 manufacturing facilities in Georgia and California. For more information about Southeastern Mills, visit www.semills.com. Visit www.louisianapepper.com to learn more about The Original Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce.