US food giant General Mills has acquired the food brands of Pune-based ready-to-cook spices and sauces maker Parampara Food Products.

Parampara's range of ready-to-cook gravy mixes are sold under the Parampara, StarterZ and Curry Tree brands. Parampara's products are marketed primarily in and around Pune, but have a niche presence in overseas markets such as the US, Canada and Japan.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed in the statement posted on the General Mills Web site.

“The acquisition of Parampara Food Products' strong portfolio of brands strengthens our ability to help bring home-cooked meals to the family table and positions General Mills India for continued growth,” the statement quoted Mr Vijay Sood, Vice-President and Executive Director of General Mills India, as saying.

“We want to expand on Parampara's potential to bring convenient meal solutions for our consumers across India and around the world,” Mr Sood stated.

Parampara's products join General Mills' growing portfolio of consumer food brands in India, including Pillsbury range of atta (flour) and cake mixes, Betty Crocker dessert mixes, Green Giant frozen vegetables, Nature Valley granola bars and Häagen-Dazs ice-cream. General Mills is one of the major food companies in the US, and operates in over 100 countries. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, General Mills had net sales of $14.9 billion in fiscal 2011.

Parampara, which started as a pickles, pappad and spices outfit 60 years ago, currently has the capacity to manufacture five million spice mix packs a year.

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