The second oldest operating component of Satake USA Inc. is the rice processing operation, now headed by Chuck Vincent, Vice President. Satake began to sell its rice milling equipment in the United States as early as 1955, it was only in 1980 that the Company took up permanent residence in Houston with the establishment of its new subsidiary company, Satake USA Inc.
Houston was chosen as the first location due to its proximity to good import/export facilities and because Houston was, at that time, one of the centers for rice growing and processing. Several large rice mills, including P&S Rice, Comet Rice, American Rice Inc., Uncle Ben's Inc., Affiliated Rice and Riviana Foods Inc. were all in the Houston area. Years ago, the land around the city of Houston was the site for large acreage of rice crops, now all of which have been consumed by the ever-growing need for additional suburbs.
The rice milling equipment exported to the United States from Japan by the Satake Corporation earned its place of honor with the large rice milling companies in the rice-producing states of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and California. Fully 98% of all rice mills in the U.S.A. now use rice whitening equipment manufactured by the Satake Corporation.
