Arva Flour Mills has acquired the Red River cereal brand from Smucker Foods of Canada Corp., a subsidiary of The J.M. Smucker Co.
Officially acquiring the cereal brand on June 1, 2022, Arva Flour Mills plans to launch the brand later this month at its onsite retail store.
Further plans to distribute the Red River cereal brand into other retail locations are projected for later this year.
“Since acquiring Arva Flour Mills last Fall, hardly a day went by at our retail store without a customer asking if we carried Red River Cereal," said Mark Rinker, owner of Arva Flour Mills.
"This prompted our initial research, and we soon came to the decision that this iconic, nearly century old brand would be a natural fit alongside the historic Arva Flour Mills Brand."
Arva Flour Mills will revert back to original recipe
In 2011, the Red River Cereal recipe was slightly altered to include steel cut wheat and rye.
Arva Flour Mills plans to revert back to the original recipe to include cracked wheat and rye.
The mill is in the process of acquiring a hammermill to crack the wheat, rye and flax ingredients.
Cracking the grain will result in a more creamy texture and restore the cereal to its original way. The cereal will be made entirely onsite at the mill in Arva, Ontario, adding lore to both the Red River Brand and the Arva Flour Mills.
“Since taking ownership, we have expanded the Arva Flour Mills brand to over 150 grocery and specialty stores in Ontario," said Rinker.
"Our brand offering includes artisan flours, beer bread, corn bread, and our newest addition, Red Fife pancake mix.
"With our established retail relationships," he continued. "We hope to have Red River cereal alongside our other products in the near future."