Temple-based McLane Group, a privately held food distribution company chaired by former Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane Jr., purchased the O.B. Macaroni Co., which began as the Fort Worth Macaroni Co. at its founding in 1899. Terms of the sale were not publicly disclosed.<\/p>\n
Q&Q Pasta, an O.B. Macaroni item originally known as Quality and Quantity Pasta when it launched in 1910, markets its vermicelli pasta as \u201cthe original Mexican fideo.\u201d The item is a top seller.<\/p>\n
Frank J. Case III, the new Q&Q president who once worked for Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, said McLane Group plans to tell the story of fideo as it introduces the vermicelli pasta products into new markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got to say that these two are the most iconic and just incredible brands as far as just a standalone that has their own legs,\u201d Case told the Fort Worth Report. \u201cThe consumer passion for the Q&Q brand has been just incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The O.B. Macaroni Co., which started as the Fort Worth Macaroni Co. in 1899, was sold to Temple-based McLane Group, a global food service distributor, in October 2026. (Eric E. Garcia | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
When people learn about his new Q&Q role, Case said, it prompts them to tell him stories about eating fideo with their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt literally unlocks such great memories for them,\u201d Case said. \u201cStories of families and joy and parties, it\u2019s just amazing. It sounds kind of hokey, but it\u2019s very humbling. It\u2019s just fun to be a part of something that has all the nostalgia and family history for some folks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Case said McLane Group plans \u201cto go big and take the brand places that it has yet to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLane seeks to double Q&Q sales since there are still opportunities to introduce the brand in untapped parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma and surrounding states, Case said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within its current distribution, customers are loyal to the brand, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOn its own, it has a very solid, very consistent consumer pull,\u201d Case said. \u201cThe consumer\u2019s commitment and passion for the brand is very real. We want to do everything we can to complement the brand and bring it along. It has its own legs and we need to exercise it so we do it the right way and respect the history of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He declined to talk about sales projections for the brand since the acquisition is just over a week old.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things to smooth out before we start our push,\u201d Case said.<\/p>\n
However, the marketing strategy will be simple: \u201cJust let it do what it does,\u201d Case said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great stories out there,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there\u2019s still a lot of stories to be had. I think as we continue to move forward with the brand, we\u2019ll introduce it to more and more people and create some more stories. \u2026 What we do in the long term is just accentuate those positives and find ways to create even more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Case said he would love to see a fideo festival \u2014 similar to a chili cookoff \u2014 reemerge to spotlight the benefits of the pasta brand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Case said his wife, a San Antonio native, was familiar with the Q&Q brand but didn\u2019t realize the nostalgia surrounding fideo dishes made with vermicelli pasta. Now fideo is part of their weekly home meals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe make at least one meal a week since the day we were introduced to it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve enjoyed it on our own with different recipes she\u2019s come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n