Westrock Coffee acquires Bixby Roasting Co.

Westrock Coffee Co. announced Tuesday (Feb. 28) it has acquired Bixby Roasting Co., a specialty-grade roaster that is a leader in the emerging influencer-led brand space. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition, which includes Bixby’s roasting facility in Los Angeles, will continue to expand Westrock Coffee’s omnichannel product marketing and development resources “as it capitalizes on shifting consumer consumption trends,” the company said.

Bixby co-founders Miles Fisher and Remington Hotchkiss, 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, executive vice president of sales of Westrock Coffee. “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. We are excited to welcome them to the Westrock Coffee team and look forward to integrating their talents and ideas into our portfolio.”

Fisher will serve as senior vice president of sales, while Hotchkiss will be named 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.”

Little Rock-based Westrock Coffee is an integrated coffee, tea, flavors, extracts, and ingredients solutions provider in the U.S., providing coffee sourcing, supply chain management, product development, roasting, packaging, and distribution services to the retail, foodservice and restaurant, convenience store and travel center, CPG, non-commercial, and hospitality industries around the world. It has offices in 10 countries.

Shares of Westrock Coffee (NASDAQ: WEST) closed trading at $11.38 on Tuesday. The company’s stock has traded between a low of $9.34 per share and a high of $14.71 per share over the past 52 weeks.