Puyallup Tribe continues to diversify, this time acquiring locally based food company
Representatives of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians announced Thursday its acquisition of a local manufacturer of gourmet tea, nut and chocolate confections.
The tribe has purchased Fife-based AMES International, the Puyallup Tribal Council said in a news release.
The company is probably best known for its Emily’s Chocolates & Nuts, as well as its line of gourmet tea. It is one of the largest nut roasters on the West Coast.
AMES was founded in 1987 by George Paulose, who named the company’s chocolate/nut line after one of his daughters.
In 2008 AMES opened its first International subsidiary in Kerala, India, according to its LinkedIn profile.
In a 2018 News Tribune report, company president Amy Paulose described the company’s entry into China’s market through online retailer Alibaba’s TMall.
A test shipment sold in 2016 led to projected sales “10 times or more what we initially started with in the trial order,” Paulose said at the time..
“AMES expands the Puyallup Tribe’s business ventures into a $2 billion dollar functional confectionary industry and helps keep a local company in business,” said the Puyallup Tribal Council, the tribe’s governing body, in the release. “We also expect it to give more employment opportunities to Puyallup tribal members.”
The purchase was made through the tribe’s economic development wing, Puyallup Tribal Enterprises. The tribe noted the deal would also allow AMES “to continue expanding.”
“The acquisition brings together the best of AMES International’s product innovation, customer relationships, and manufacturing expertise with the operational and strategic competitive advantages offered by the tribe,” the release stated.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The purchase comes three years after the tribe opened its $400 million Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, with the EQC hotel opening in 2021.
That year also brought a partnership with Amazon on a new sort center, the launch of the BetMGM @ EQC sportsbook and a fourth Commencement Bay Cannabis store.
In 2022, the tribe announced new partnerships for a seaplane service with Kenmore Air and with celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi to open a Native-inspired international cuisine waterfront restaurant.
This year, the tribe started its own international logistics company, Tahoma Global Logistics, and has started construction on a new Tribal Administration building, with a new entertainment district also planned.
This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 1:12 PM.
