The company behind some of Louisiana's biggest brands is moving from New Orleans to Elmwood (2024)

Reily Foods Co., a 123-year-old New Orleans company best known for brands that include Blue Plate Mayonnaise, French Market Coffee and Luzianne Iced Tea, is leaving its corporate headquarters in the Central Business District and moving to Elmwood, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans.

The move will affect the sales, marketing and back office employees of Reily Foods, whose offices are currently housed on the 10thfloor of the former Texaco Building at 400 Poydras St., according to the building’s leasing agent, who was recently notified of the company’s plans to terminate its lease. The exact number of employees is unknown.

“It’s a big blow,” said Cres Gardner of Beau Box Commercial Real Estate. “We worked hard to try to retain them but were unable to do so.”

Wm. B. Reily & Co., the family-run holding company that owns Reily Foods, is not leaving downtown. The family's administrative offices will remain in the recently renovated historic building on Magazine Street that the company has occupied for more than a century, according to officials with the Downtown Development District and GNO, Inc.

Company President and CEO William Boatner “Bo” Reily, IV was traveling and did not respond to a request for comment. But several company employees, who were not authorized to speak on behalf of the company, said Reily told employees of the plans at a recent company meeting where he expressed concerns about quality of life issues downtown.

At a separate meeting in May, representatives from the Downtown Development District, GNO Inc., the New Orleans Police Department and the city’s Office of Homeless Services and Strategy met with Reily to try to address his concerns and keep the company from leaving downtown but were unable to do so, according to three people whose organizations were represented at the meeting.

“From a regional perspective, the most important factor is that Reily foods is staying and growing in GNO with locations in Jefferson and New Orleans,” GNO Inc. President and CEO Michael Hecht said. “That said, in this age of stressed downtowns, everyone is focused on trying to keep their headquarters in their urban core. Hopefully, the major progress we are making on crime, infrastructure and quality of life issues will make this easier going forward.”

Rich history

The roots of Reily Foods date back to 1902, when William B. Reily packed up his grocery wholesale business in Monroe and moved to New Orleans to found a coffee company. In the decades that followed, the company grew its coffee empire and diversified into other types of food manufacturing across the country.

Besides Blue Plate, French Market and Luzianne, Reily Foods also owns CDM Coffee, New England Coffee, Union Coffee, Swans Down Cake flour, La Martinique salad dressings, Tiger Sauce and dozens of lesser-known brands.

The family holding company also owns the evamor bottled water brand, formerly Abita Springs Water Co.

In 2019, Bo Reily became the fourth-generation president and CEO of the company.

In 2022, he opened the Luzianne Cafe on the ground floor of the Magazine Street building as a way to showcase the company’s many brands — not only through decorative packaging on the walls and tabletops but as ingredients in the breakfast and lunch dishes the café serves daily.

The company’s main manufacturing plants are in Knoxville, Tennessee; Malden, Massachusetts and in New Orleans on Chef Menteur Highway. There are no plans to move those operations, two sources familiar with company said.

Details to come

A timeline for Reily Foods move has not been finalized. But a listing on the LACDB database of commercial property shows the company’s 22,500-square-foot office at 400 Poydras will be available by Oct. 1.

Also unclear is where exactly in Elmwood the company will be moving. Jefferson Parish Councilmember Deano Bonano said no deal has been finalized yet.

“We are in talks with them about what economic incentives we can give them,” he said. “It all looks good. I just cannot say what the package will look like.”

The deal, though not yet finalized, is the latest in a string of recent economic development wins for Jefferson Parish. Earlier this week, RNGD, formerly Palmisano Construction, made official its plans to move from a state-of-the-art building on Tchoupitoulas Street it built for itself just six years ago to a site in the Labarre Business Park.

And Thursday, defense contractor Birdon America announced plans to expand its Elmwood offices to help fill a $1 billion contract for the U.S. Coast Guard.

DDD President and CEO Davon Barbor said the DDD is disappointed Reily Foods is relocating to Elwmood but is pleased the administrative offices of the family, and the café, will stay in the CBD.

“We continue cultivating relationship with downtown tenants, brokers and office building ownership for the economic vitality of the City of New Orleans,” Barbor said.