Manitowoc, Wis. (July 30, 2018) — Lakeside Foods, Inc. recently broke ground on a 100,000-square-foot addition to its Manitowoc, Wisconsin, frozen packaging facility. The project is part of a strategic growth plan that began with acquisitions earlier this year of Riverside Foods and Good Eats to broaden and diversify the company’s product portfolio.
The $40 million project will expand the facility’s frozen warehouse and refrigerated packaging space to meet the custom packaging needs of customers and increase capacity to enable product innovation in the frozen foods category. The project includes redesigning processing operations to meet the highest food safety industry standards and installing new automated packaging equipment.
“The existing facility packages more than 100 million pounds of canned and frozen vegetables per year for more than 100 private-label customers and operates seven days a week to keep up with current demand,” said Joe Yanda, Sr. VP of Operations for Lakeside Foods. “The expanded space and upgraded equipment will allow us to increase frozen food offerings and leverage new business opportunities.”
The project is supported by local economic development agencies and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Construction will begin in August, with completion expected in early 2019.
Lakeside Foods’ packaging expansion comes on the heels of two recent acquisitions to broaden the company’s product offerings, better meet customer needs as a full-line supplier, and innovate into new food categories. In April, the company purchased Riverside Foods, a producer of specialty appetizers and seafood for the food service and restaurant industry. In June, Lakeside Foods purchased Good Eats Food Co., which markets niche specialty offerings SER!OUS Bean Co flavored beans and Ruthie’s Twisted Harvest frozen vegetables. Both brands are available in retail and foodservice.
About Lakeside
Lakeside Foods is a premier supplier of high-quality frozen and canned foods to the retail, food service and industrial sectors. Since its beginning in 1887 as a small pea-canning plant, Lakeside Foods has expanded to 13 processing facilities, producing canned and frozen vegetables, frozen desserts, appetizers and canned pet food that are distributed in 14 countries. For its vegetable segment, Lakeside Foods oversees growing and harvesting operations with a network of regional farmers, ensuring food quality and freshness from farm to table. The company is family-owned and based in Manitowoc, Wis.
