ROCHESTER, ENGLAND — UK food company Veetee Foods, Inc. will establish a major production plant in Johnson County, located in Selma, NC. The facility will be capable of cooking rice, pasta, noodles, spaghetti, and many other foods using domestically sourced ingredients and employing technology developed for more than 20 years in the company’s UK factory, said North Carolina Governor Ralph Cooper. As part of the expansion, Veetee plans to invest $35.7 million in Selma and create 200 jobs in Johnson County.

“We are delighted to see our ambitious expansion vision reach the USA, and we see Johnston County as our perfect partner,” said Moni and Rajiv Varma, the chairman and managing director of Veetee Foods, respectively. “We are humbled by this opportunity and are equally excited to unleash a wide range of delicious meals that families across the country will no doubt enjoy.”

Veetee Foods, Inc. was founded in 1986 as a food processing company that gained early success in India and the United Kingdom for its production of rice products, such as dry rice and ready-to-heat rice, and has expanded into a variety of ambient convenience foods. The company employs approximately 1,000 people worldwide, but the new facility in Selma is expected to increase its small operations in the United States, the company said.