Tilda

Tilda is a United Kingdom rice and related-foods brand headquartered in Rainham, England. It is principally associated with basmati rice, particularly packaged products positioned around aroma, grain quality, purity and cooking performance. The brand also sells other rice varieties and convenience products, including ready-to-eat and flavored rice offerings, serving both household consumers and professional foodservice customers. The business dates its origins to 1970 and is associated with entrepreneur Rashmi Thakrar. The company's history is connected with the South Asian diaspora in Britain: Thakrar came to the United Kingdom after the expulsion of Asians from Uganda in the early 1970s. Tilda developed in a market where rice was becoming an increasingly important household staple, while basmati rice provided a distinctive premium segment linked to South Asian culinary traditions. Tilda's consumer proposition has centered on branded, consistent-quality rice rather than commodity supply alone. Its range has included dry uncooked rice, especially basmati, as well as jasmine, brown and other specialty varieties. The brand has also expanded into prepared rice formats designed to reduce cooking time, including steamed, ready-to-eat and flavored products. This gives Tilda a presence across both pantry staples and convenience foods. In addition to retail products, Tilda has operated a foodservice business since 1994. Tilda Foodservice supplies professional kitchens with uncooked dry rice and frozen rice products, extending the brand into restaurants, catering and institutional food preparation. The company has offices in Dubai and Delhi alongside its United Kingdom base, reflecting its international commercial footprint and its focus on markets with established demand for basmati and other rice products. Tilda has changed ownership twice in the modern period. Hain Celestial acquired the company in 2014, bringing it into a United States-based natural and specialty foods group. In August 2019, Hain Celestial sold Tilda to Spanish food group Ebro Foods. Under Ebro Foods, Tilda remains a specialist international rice brand within a wider food portfolio. Publicly available reference material identifies Tilda as the top-selling rice brand in the United Kingdom, although detailed current sales, revenue and market-share figures are not established here.

Tilda's reported origins date to 1970, when the business began developing as a United Kingdom rice enterprise focused on the growing market for packaged rice. Its later history is associated with entrepreneur Rashmi Thakrar, who came to Britain after the expulsion of Asians from Uganda in the early 1970s. The combination of diaspora entrepreneurship, South Asian culinary traditions and rising British consumption of rice helped shape Tilda's identity. The company's core strength became basmati rice. Rather than competing only as an undifferentiated staple, Tilda built a branded proposition around grain length, fragrance, purity and dependable cooking results. This premium orientation helped it establish a strong position in British retail. The brand subsequently broadened its portfolio beyond traditional dry basmati to include jasmine, brown and other rice varieties, allowing it to address a wider range of cuisines and dietary preferences. Tilda also developed a convenience-food presence. Steamed, ready-to-eat and flavored rice products enabled consumers to prepare rice-based meals with less time and equipment than required for conventional dry rice. These products complemented the company's established pantry range and made the brand relevant to quick weekday meals as well as more traditional cooking occasions. In 1994, Tilda began operating Tilda Foodservice. This division supplied professional kitchens with a range of uncooked dry and frozen rice products. Foodservice extended the company's reach beyond supermarket shelves into restaurants, catering operations and other commercial kitchens, while also allowing Tilda to serve customers requiring larger-scale or more standardized preparation formats. The business became part of Hain Celestial in 2014. That ownership period placed Tilda within a broader international group focused on natural, organic and specialty foods. In August 2019, Hain Celestial sold Tilda to Ebro Foods, a Spanish food group with substantial activities in rice and other food categories. The acquisition aligned Tilda with a larger international rice platform while retaining its established brand identity. Tilda is headquartered in Rainham, England, and reference material also identifies offices in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Delhi in India. Its geographic organization reflects the brand's international reach and its relevance in markets with strong consumption of basmati and other rice varieties. Tilda continues to operate as an active brand spanning consumer retail and foodservice, although detailed current ownership-company financials, executive biographies and market-by-market sales data are not established in the available reference material.

• 2019

  Sale to Ebro Foods

  [1]Tilda (food manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  Ebro Foods acquired Tilda from Hain Celestial in August 2019, making the Spanish food group the brand's owner.

• 2014

  Acquisition by Hain Celestial

  [1]Tilda (food manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  Hain Celestial Group purchased Tilda and added the rice business to its international specialty-food portfolio.

• 1994

  Tilda Foodservice begins operations

  [1]Tilda (food manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  Tilda entered the professional-foodservice sector, supplying dry and frozen rice products to commercial kitchens.

• 1972

  Rashmi Thakrar arrives in the United Kingdom

  [1]Tilda (food manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  The company's founder, Rashmi Thakrar, is associated with the business's development after coming to Britain in the aftermath of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda.

• 1970

  Reported founding of Tilda

  [1]Tilda (food manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org

  Tilda's origins are generally dated to 1970, marking the beginning of the United Kingdom rice business that later developed into the international brand.

Premium, reliable and convenient rice, with particular authority in basmati and South Asian-inspired cooking.

• Dry rice

  Pure Basmati Rice

  Tilda's best-known product area is packaged basmati rice. The range is positioned around the characteristic aroma, elongated grains and cooking texture associated with basmati. It serves as the brand's principal premium pantry offering for home cooking and is also relevant to South Asian, Middle Eastern and other rice-based cuisines.

• Dry rice

  Jasmine and Specialty Rice

  Beyond basmati, Tilda has offered jasmine, brown and other specialty rice varieties. These products broaden the brand's appeal across different cuisines and cooking methods while retaining its emphasis on packaged quality and dependable preparation.

• Convenience rice

  Steamed and Ready-to-Eat Rice

  Tilda's steamed and ready-to-eat products address consumers seeking faster meal preparation. The format reduces or eliminates the need for conventional rice cooking and is offered in plain and flavored variants. It extends the brand from a traditional dry staple into convenient meal accompaniment and quick-meal occasions.

• Foodservice · 1994

  Foodservice Rice

  Tilda Foodservice supplies professional kitchens with uncooked dry and frozen rice products. The business is intended for restaurants, caterers and other commercial food operators that require consistent products in formats suited to larger-scale preparation and service.

• 2019

  Sale of Tilda to Ebro FoodsM&A

  Background

  Hain Celestial decided to divest the rice business as part of its portfolio management.

  Action taken

  Ebro Foods purchased Tilda in August 2019.

  Aftermath

  Tilda became part of Ebro Foods, a Spanish food group with significant rice operations and an international market presence.

  Source

• 2014

  Sale of Tilda to Hain CelestialM&A

  Background

  Tilda had developed into a recognized United Kingdom rice brand with consumer and foodservice activities.

  Action taken

  Hain Celestial Group acquired the company.

  Aftermath

  Tilda became part of Hain Celestial's international natural and specialty-food portfolio.

  Source

• 1994

  Expansion into foodserviceStrategy

  Background

  Tilda's business had established a consumer rice identity, but professional kitchens represented an additional route to market for rice products.

  Action taken

  The company launched Tilda Foodservice, supplying dry and frozen rice products to commercial kitchens.

  Aftermath

  The move expanded Tilda beyond household retail and created a dedicated presence in restaurant, catering and institutional food preparation.

  Source

1. 1Tilda (food manufacturer)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tilda official websitetilda.com