A M King has completed design and commenced construction on a multiphase renovation project in Concord, N.C., for San Clemente, Calif.-based Custom Flavors. When complete, the company’s East Coast processing facility will double its production capacity, streamline freight shipping and strengthen product development support.

A M King and Custom Flavors hosted a groundbreaking event on June 3. The day’s festivities included a shovel ceremony and site tours.

About Custom Flavors’ Concord Facility

Founded in 2005, Custom Flavors is a family-owned and -operated business specializing in the development and manufacturing of liquid and powdered flavor solutions. To date, the company has created more than 20,000 organic, natural and artificial flavors and flavor combinations for bakery, beverage, confectionery, dairy, supplements and sports nutrition products. Flavors include Raspberry, Watermelon, Dragon Fruit, Spearmint, Ginger, Chocolate, Peanut, Birthday Cake, Tahitian Vanilla and Margarita.

Custom Flavors’ Concord facility is situated off West Winds Blvd., near Concord-Padgett Regional Airport and Concord Mills Mall. From this location, the company will be able to reach 85% of the U.S. within two business days, starting in this year’s fourth quarter. To help Custom Flavors achieve that goal, A M King is fast tracking the renovation project, with completion scheduled for November — just 11 months from award of services to owner occupancy.

“We are excited about building a partnership with an innovative West Coast company that holds many of the same values as we do,” explains David Sawicki, A M King vice president. “Our design-build approach, coupled with our food processing expertise, will ensure a high-quality facility completed within an accelerated timeline.”

“It has been a tremendous experience, working with David and the team at A M King,” explains Alex Wendling, Custom Flavors president. “Together, we have designed a premier flavor manufacturing and innovation hub here in the greater Charlotte region, and today kicks off the accelerated buildout to meet the demands of our wonderful, fast-growing customers. With each phase of this project and the continued evolution of our existing operations, we look to offer even more to those who count on us.”

What This Means for Custom Flavors’ Customers and the Food and Beverage Industry

The Concord facility marks an investment in Custom Flavors’ long-term growth and customer service. With 53,000 sq. ft. of production and lab space, the site will double current capacity and triple product innovation space. This expansion strengthens Custom Flavors’ ability to maintain lead times while increasing formulation support through expanded R&D infrastructure.

Located in North Carolina, the facility positions Custom Flavors to better serve Midwest and East Coast customers, with reduced freight costs. On-site development capabilities will also allow for deeper collaboration with regional partners.

The Custom Flavors project will generate 30 jobs over the next three years, adding roles in food science, production and quality control.

Scope of Work

The scope of work on Phase 1 of the design-build project encompasses the renovation of the 53,000-sq.-ft. facility, including the processing areas, laboratories, test kitchen and office spaces.

Subsequent phases will include the development of additional labs:

• Research & Development Flavor Lab
• Pilot Lab (a flexible, small-scale food production space used to simulate manufacturing processes and refine formulations prior to scale-up)
• Quality Control Lab
• Two Applications Labs (collaborative environments for demonstrating flavor performance in finished products and accelerating product innovation)

Due to the nature of perishable products being stored and processed, there are hygiene classification requirements for the various areas of the facility. A M King will work with Custom Flavors to ensure that the rooms and equipment within can be cleaned in accordance with A M King’s standards for sanitary design. The use of insulated metal panels on interior walls, sloped floors, floor drains, hand- and boot-washing stations, and air curtains was selected to assist with these efforts.

A M King is working with the process engineer to incorporate Piping and Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID) requirements into the design of the facility. P&ID is a schematic representation of a process system, including piping, instrumentation and control equipment. In areas where ignitable concentrations of liquids are present, the electrical design ensures that they are explosion-proof. A mechanical system has been installed that exhausts Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and dust from the air in the processing spaces before they have time to absorb into finishes. Finally, the PH monitoring system collects all of the process water, monitors the PH and adds either acid or an alkali, per Cabarrus County regulations.