Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) company opened a new 500,000-sq.-ft. cocoa processing facility in Hazleton, PA. The 74-acre site will create at least 210 jobs within three years. Twenty-two employees are already working at the plant, which will handle ADM’s East Coast cocoa operations, including bean grinding, chocolate production and cake milling.


H. J. Heinz Company has partnered with Stellar to build its new frozen-food manufacturing facility in Florence, SC. The 225,000-sq.-ft. plant will produce Smart Ones and Boston Market frozen meals. Stellar broke ground on the plant in summer of 2008, and the building will be substantially complete in the fall of 2009. The processing, distribution and packaging facility was needed due to Heinz’s growth in its frozen meal division. The building will be constructed of insulated metal panel walls and a single-ply membrane roof.


Dairy Farmers of America will expand its Fort Morgan, CO plant to increase the plant’s capacity for milk by 2 million pounds per day. The $21 million expansion will add seven full-time employees. The plant sits on 14 acres and makes sweet cream, condensed milk and non-fat dry milk.


Ocean Spray Cranberries finished expansion of its Wisconsin Rapids facility, which has doubled the plant size to 440,000 sq. ft. The $75 million expansion is expected to create 100 jobs.