As India’s food and spice processing industry enters a new phase of growth and formalisation, engineering-led innovation and process reliability have become more critical than ever. Marking a significant milestone this year, RIECO, a long-standing name in the sector, celebrates 50 years of operations, reaffirming its commitment to innovation, hygiene, and customer success.

Speaking on the occasion, Mohfiz Parmar, Head – Product & Marketing, RIECO, reflected on the company’s journey and its evolving role in the food and spice processing ecosystem.

“Completing 50 years is special not only because of the number, but also because how the food & spice industry stands today. This is also the year we are introducing multiple new solutions that directly respond to how food and spice processors are evolving,” he said.

From machines to processing outcomes

RIECO’s journey mirrors the evolution of the Indian food and spice sector itself—from manual, fragmented setups to integrated, hygienic processing lines. Over time, the company’s focus has shifted from selling individual machines to enabling predictable processing outcomes.

“Customers today don’t just want equipment. They want assurance—on hygiene, consistency, and long-term performance,” Parmar explained. 

This shift is evident in RIECO’s latest innovations. At Indusfood Manufacturing, the company unveiled what is believed to be India’s first skid-mounted ACM grinding unit—a plug-and-play solution designed to reduce installation complexity, commissioning time, and site dependencies. Participation in major industry platforms plays a vital role in this approach.

“It’s a response to how plants are being built today—faster, leaner, and with minimal disruption. That thinking defines how we design now,” he added.

At Indusfood Manufacturing, Rieco presented what is believed to be India’s first skid-mounted grinding unit, a solution designed to simplify installation while improving efficiency. “This year, we are showcasing a skid-mounted ACM, which is perhaps India’s first skid-mounted grinding unit. These enhancements are not just product-level changes but part of our broader approach to disrupting food and spice processing,” Parmar added.

Building partnerships and understanding market evolution

Beyond products, RIECO views industry events as an opportunity to understand the changing technological landscape and forge meaningful collaborations.

“Whenever we participate in an event, it’s not just about meeting customers. It’s also about understanding the overall market landscape from a technology standpoint and building technology collaborations,” Parmar said.

As demand grows across regions, RIECO is strengthening its national footprint through a structured channel partner programme.  

“The market is too diverse to serve through a single model. Strong local partners help us stay closer to customers while maintaining technical depth. We are actively looking to add more channel partners globally. Platforms like Indusfood serve as a platform to identify like-minded partners as for RIECO partnerships are not transactional—they are extensions of its engineering and service philosophy” Parmar added

The real challenges shaping the next decade

While growth is evident, the sector continues to grapple with persistent issues—contamination risks, inefficient layouts, variable quality, and underutilised capacity.

“Hygiene, ROI, and consistency are non-negotiable today. If any one of these fails, the business suffers,” Parmar said.

RIECO designs its systems with these realities in mind, ensuring hygienic construction, optimised energy and resource usage, and repeatable product quality—batch after batch.

Technology-driven transformation

Looking ahead, Parmar believes the next phase of growth will be defined by regulation-led consolidation and technology adoption.

“Stricter norms will push processors to upgrade. Technologies like steam sterilisation, quick-clean systems, and modular plug-and-play units will become standard rather than optional,” he said.

In this environment, RIECO positions itself as a long-term process partner, supporting customers from concept design through commissioning and scale-up.  

50 Years of learning, focused on the customer

Reflecting on five decades of experience, Parmar emphasised “Customer centricity has always been the crux of Rieco’s operations. For the last 50 years, we have continuously listened to our customers and understood the challenges they face in their processes. Every meaningful improvement we’ve made started with a customer problem”

The company aims to build on these learnings through continued innovation. “The idea is to keep innovating and provide the right solutions that ensure our customers’ operations are always efficient and running smoothly,” Parmar concluded.