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Fabulous Food Plants

Discover how innovative food and beverage processing facilities are using lean manufacturing, sustainability, food safety technology, and automation to improve operations.

]]> https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/rss/2640 en-us Tillamook Opens Illinois Ice Cream Facility levittm@bnpmedia.com (Michael Levitt) The Tillamook County Creamery Association recently opened a 68,000-sq.-ft. ice cream facility in Decatur, Ill. It is Tillamook’s first owned and operated plant outside of Oregon.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/103168 Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/103168-tillamook-opens-illinois-ice-cream-facility Going for Gold(fish): Inside The Campbell’s Company’s $160M Cracker Plant Expansion Thompsona@bnpmedia.com (Alyse Thompson-Richards) To enhance distribution in the western U.S. – and set new standards for packaging and capital project execution – The Campbell’s Company has expanded its production facility in Richmond, Utah.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/103116 Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/103116-going-for-goldfish-inside-the-campbells-companys-160m-cracker-plant-expansion FOOD ENGINEERING Accepting 2026 Plant of the Year Award Submissions Eligible facilities need to have been completed between Oct. 1, 2024 and Sept. 30, 2025.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/103026 Wed, 14 May 2025 07:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/103026-food-engineering-accepting-2026-plant-of-the-year-award-submissions Raising a Higher Quality Mushroom Product A recent expansion allows M2 Ingredients to put all of its indoor farming and post-production processes under one roof — enabling true vertical integration and full chain of custody from spore to finished product.


]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102713 Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102713-raising-a-higher-quality-mushroom-product Frozen Dessert Maker Maintains Authenticity with In-house Processing Kaurina’s Kulfi could take shortcuts with its ‘Indian ice cream’ for more product and profit, but instead chooses a scaled up process first used in the family’s kitchen in order to stay true to the frozen treat’s heritage.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102373 Mon, 12 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102373-frozen-dessert-maker-maintains-authenticity-with-in-house-processing PepsiCo Beverages North America Opens New Warehouse And Distribution Center PBNA tripled its local warehouse footprint with the relocation of its former downtown Nashville distribution warehouse facility.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102375 Wed, 07 Aug 2024 12:42:28 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102375-pepsico-beverages-north-america-opens-new-warehouse-and-distribution-center Overcoming Adversity to Implement Sustainability A project team undaunted by constant challenges comes through for an on-time delivery of Meati’s Mega Ranch, FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2024 Sustainable Plant of the Year.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102307 Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102307-overcoming-adversity-to-implement-sustainability There Was Plenty to See at FA&M 2024 Even though there were only six months in between iterations, FA&M still delivered on the networking and educational content.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102155 Fri, 17 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102155-there-was-plenty-to-see-at-fa-and-m-2024 Marson Foods Opens $35M Commercial Bakery, D.C. in St. Louis County The modern distribution facility includes 12,000 sq. ft. of fully automated freezer capacity, end-to-end research and development capabilities, automated production lines to increase sales capacity, and space for five additional production lines. 

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102110 Wed, 24 Apr 2024 13:30:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102110-marson-foods-opens-35m-commercial-bakery-dc-in-st-louis-county MarsonWaffleFactory.jpg The modern distribution facility includes 12,000 square feet of fully automated freezer capacity, end-to-end research and development capabilities, automated production lines to increase their sales capacity, and space for five additional production lines. Courtesy Marson Foods. Taking Old-World Processes Into the New World The JBS Principe facility is FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2024 Plant of the Year for its daring modern take on traditional Italian-style dried meat production.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101966 Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101966-taking-old-world-processes-into-the-new-world Crystal Farms Puts its Wisconsin Community and Employees First Situated between Madison and Milwaukee, Wis., on Interstate 94 in a 7,000-resident town called Lake Mills lies Crystal Farms Dairy Co.’s plant. 

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102089 Mon, 26 Feb 2024 13:35:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/102089-crystal-farms-puts-its-wisconsin-community-and-employees-first Tyson Foods Opens Production Facility The Bowling Green, Kentucky facility was built to handle an expansion of the company’s bacon production capabilities.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101833 Fri, 26 Jan 2024 13:43:54 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101833-tyson-foods-opens-production-facility Emmi Roth Debuts New Headquarters The new 158,000-sq.-ft. building also houses Emmi Roth’s new state-of-the-art conversion facility, which will cup, bag, wedge, shred and crumble the company’s cheese products for a variety of brands.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101751 Tue, 05 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101751-emmi-roth-debuts-new-headquarters Tyson Foods Opens Virginia Production Plant The company has opened a $300 million fully-cooked food production facility in Danville, Va.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101721 Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101721-tyson-foods-opens-virginia-production-plant Food Plant Update A former staple of FOOD ENGINEERING is getting updated as an eNewsletter.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101656 Fri, 03 Nov 2023 11:00:57 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101656-food-plant-update These Food Plants are Fabulous for Very Different Reasons Conagra Brands’ ‘Green Jay’ and Graeter’s ice cream production facility take diverging paths for production, but both facilities meet the aims of their respective companies.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101610 Mon, 16 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101610-these-food-plants-are-fabulous-for-very-different-reasons FOOD ENGINEERING Announces Opening of 2024 Plant of the Year/Sustainable Plant of the Year Submissions Plant of the Year entrants are automatically entered into the Sustainable Plant of the Year competition. All entries are due by December 29, 2023.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101588 Thu, 12 Oct 2023 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/101588-food-engineering-announces-opening-of-2024-plant-of-the-year-sustainable-plant-of-the-year-submissions Facility Innovations For our coverage of Fabulous Food Plants this year, we decided to do something a little bit different in honor of “plants,” aka flora. When we think of food plants, we almost immediately think of processing facilities, but there’s so much more to food production than the processing plant. So, seeing how plant-based foods are altering the ways consumers think about protein, we decided to alter the way we think about food plants.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/100687 Mon, 14 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/100687-leed-certified-facility-innnovations Fab Food Plant: Tyson’s innovative case-ready meat facility in Eagle Mountain, Utah costam@bnpmedia.com (Michael Costa) Within its walls is one of the most technically advanced food processing plants in the country—a greenfield project built from the ground up with automation, labor savings, sustainability and smart design throughout.


]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/100178 Fri, 08 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/100178-fab-food-plant-tysons-innovative-case-ready-meat-facility-in-eagle-mountain-utah Fab Food Plant: Going to the dogs (and cats) As the pet food industry has grown, so has the need for quality ingredients. Pet food brand owners seek natural foods with high protein and clean label options as owners treat their dogs and cats as family members.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/99770 Fri, 29 Oct 2021 00:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/99770-fab-food-plant-going-to-the-dogs-and-cats Pod Pack’s ERP system keeps the coffee moving Laughmanc@bnpmedia.com (Casey Laughman) http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/99227 Tue, 01 Dec 2020 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/99227-pod-packs-erp-system-keeps-the-coffee-moving Pod Pack headquarters Pod Pack grinds, packs and ships coffee in single-serve pods for branded and private label companies from its Baton Rouge, La.-based headquarters. Photo courtesy of Pod Pack Pod Pack Pod Pack’s implementation of the DELMIAWORKS ERP system has streamlined production management, inventory and quality processes. Photo courtesy of Pod Pack K-cup machine Pod Pack grinds, packages and ships coffee in both flat, soft pods and K-cup style pods. The K-cup machine seen here is one of the company’s machines that reports data through the ERP system. Photo courtesy of Pod Pack Pod-Pack production area Pod Pack produces and ships about 20 million single servings of coffee and tea each month. Photo courtesy of Pod Pack espresso pods Pod Pack guarantees no more than a two-week turnaround time on coffee products, including the espresso pods seen here. Photo courtesy of Pod Pack K-Cup line Pod Pack’s ERP system helps eliminate potential employee error with loading the machines with the wrong coffee for a production run.Photo courtesy of Pod Pack espresso pod machine Pod Pack uses a custom-built machine from Opem to manufacture 55 mm Espresso pods.Photo courtesy of Pod Pack employee checking ERP system A Pod Pack employee checks the DELMIAworks ERP system, which provides a visual of performance on the plant floor.Photo courtesy of Pod Pack Clif Bar’s visual bakery project has the company ahead of the game Laughmanc@bnpmedia.com (Casey Laughman) http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/98961 Tue, 30 Jun 2020 10:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/98961-clif-bars-visual-bakery-project-has-the-company-ahead-of-the-game Clif Bar Indianapolis bakery Clif Bar’s 5 Aspirations, as seen on the wall in this photo from the Indianapolis bakery, focus on supporting people, brands, community, business and the planet. Photo courtesy of Clif Bar Clif Bar Twin Falls bakery Clif Bar’s Twin Falls, Idaho bakery, pictured here, was a greenfield implementation of the visual bakery project. The bakery won Food Engineering’s Sustainable Plant of the Year in 2017. Photo courtesy of Clif Bar visual bakery huddle The real-time data reporting and management available through the visual bakery system allows operators and managers to adjust on the fly. Photo courtesy of Clif Bar How Prestage Foods of Iowa built a state-of-the-art pork processing plant http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/98612 Mon, 09 Dec 2019 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/98612-prestage-farms-built-a-state-of-the-art-pork-processing-plant-in-northwest-iowa Prestage Farms pork processing facility Prestage has built a world-class pork processing facility that will meet current and future needs. Photos courtesy of Epstein Prestage Farms pork processing facility The plant’s new office and employee welfare areas are open and inviting, with a clean and modern appearance. Prestage Farms harvest floor line The harvest floor line. The dehairer can be seen on the right and the carcass polishers are pictured in the middle. Prestage Farms harvest room line Red and white organ pans are part of the harvest room line in Prestage’s new pork processing facility. singers and carcass polishing line at Prestage Farms facility An inside look at the singers and carcass polishing line at Prestage. ham tumblers at Prestage Farms pork processing facility Ham tumblers feeding the ham deboning lines. conveying lines at Prestage Farms pork processing facility Conveying lines from the main break line conveying various primal meat cut to the deboning and trimming lines. Fabulous Food Plants: Design, build, succeed http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/98428 Mon, 12 Aug 2019 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/98428-fabulous-food-plants-design-build-succeed Aurora Organic Dairy facility Big-D Construction’s National Food & Beverage Group oversaw the construction of the Aurora Organic Dairy facility. The relationship between Big-D and AOD goes back to 2006. Photo courtesy of Drake Busch Aurora Organic Dairy facility's aseptic bottling equipment New aseptic bottling equipment lets Aurora expand its products to 8, 12, 16 and 32 oz. PET bottles, opening new retail markets for its organic milk products. Photo courtesy of Drake Busch AC Foods blueberry processing facility AC Foods needed a quick start on a blueberry processing facility, so it conferred with Fisher Construction Group to renovate an existing facility (inset). After the first season, two additional facilities were built to support the operation. Photo courtesy of Fisher Construction Group Cedar's Mediterranean Foods processing facility Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods Inc. needed to construct another processing facility at its Ward Hill, Mass., campus. With a totally automated process, the facility helped double the output of products from 104 to 208 million pounds annually. Photo courtesy of Cedar’s Foods North Country Smokehouse's Claremont facility North Country Smokehouse’s new facility in Claremont, N.H., has a linear design for efficiency and safety. Photo courtesy of CMC Design-Build smoked pork bellies Racks of smoked pork bellies enter a blast chill cell. Photo courtesy of CMC Design-Build Starbucks August, Ga., facility's receiving area The Starbucks August, Ga., facility’s receiving area accepts deliveries of green coffee beans that are stored for roasting. Stellar’s expansion added six new whole bean roasters, allowing the facility to produce up to 146.8 million pounds of coffee per year. Photo courtesy of Stellar Wolverine Packing production/cooler facility Tippmann Innovation designed a new production/cooler facility for Wolverine Packing in Detroit’s market district, which includes a park immediately behind the building. Photo courtesy of Brian Richardson, Michigan Video and Photography Golden State Foods plant With a focus on food safety, Golden State Foods selected Clayco as the design-builder for its new facility. Photo courtesy of Clayco Hispanic Cheese Makers' fabulous food plant sets the bar for reducing waste Laughmanc@bnpmedia.com (Casey Laughman) http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97945 Wed, 12 Dec 2018 08:45:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97945-hispanic-cheese-makers-fabulous-food-plant-sets-the-bar-for-reducing-waste wastewater lagoons Hispanic Cheese Makers (formerly Nuestro Queso) has built two new wastewater lagoons, with a total capacity of more than 21 million gallons. The water will be used to irrigate surrounding farmlands, and the project is the cornerstone of the company’s sustainability efforts. Photos courtesy of Hispanic Cheese Makers cheese crumbles Hispanic Cheese Makers produces a variety of private-label cheeses in different varieties, such as the crumbles seen here. The company has invested heavily in quality, safety and sustainability efforts as part of its core values. packaging ground cheese Hispanic Cheese Makers does its grinding and shredding on site. Ground cheese can be packaged in bags or other containers such as jars, then packaged as private-label products. worker on production line In Hispanic Cheese Makers’ SQF Level 3-certified plant, worker safety, food safety and quality are paramount. All three are addressed at every step of the production process to ensure that the company’s product is made in a safe, high-quality way. Food quality, employee safety reign supreme at Seaboard Triumph Foods http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97666 Fri, 03 Aug 2018 13:30:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97666-food-quality-employee-safety-reign-supreme-at-seaboard-triumph-foods Seaboard Triumph Foods' Sioux City facility Seen at night, Seaboard Triumph Foods’ new facility in Sioux City, IA will up its processing to 21,000 hogs per day when its second shift begins work in October. All photos courtesy of Mark Ballogg for Ballogg Photography stunning facility At STF, the process begins here at the stunning facility, where carbon dioxide gas renders hogs unconscious prior to exsanguination. kill floor The kill floor includes several pieces of automated equipment, designed for safe, efficient operation. conveying system The conveyance system delivers products for final cuts to the cut floor. equilibrium bay Before entering the cut floor, carcasses are cooled to an optimum working temperature in the equilibrium bays. sortation conveyor system A fully automated sortation conveyor system delivers product to specified locations within the plant. packaging room In this packaging room, cardboard boxes arrive from the upstairs box shop, and after operators place meats into the carton, cartons then travel to a palletizing area. STF plant lobby The plant’s lobby provides a well-lit, open feeling. STF plant exterior The exterior of the plant has a clean, modern design to provide a welcoming environment for employees and visitors. training room Training rooms provide the latest in multimedia presentations to prepare workers before finishing their training on the floor. How Ben & Jerry's successfully manages its plants schugd@bnpmedia.com (Debra Schug) http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97116 Mon, 11 Dec 2017 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97116-how-ben-jerrys-successfully-manages-its-plants packaging Ben & Jerry's ice cream The Ben & Jerry’s ice cream mixture is dispensed into the cups at a rate of 200 pints per minute; a lidder properly places and pushes lids onto the cups. Photos by Vito Palmisano Ben & Jerry's St. Albans plant exterior The company has invested $31 million to expand its 135,000-square-feet plant by an additional 46,000 square feet. When the project is completed in 2018, the plant will have at least six new areas, including a warehouse, a refrigeration room, mix storage space, a packing room, a sugar tank room and a wastewater treatment plant. ice cream undergoes HTST pasteurization The ice cream base is run through the high-temperature short-time pasteurizer (HTST), then is sent to the aging tank and is eventually pulled into the flavor vats. ice cream pints conveyed into hardening tunnel Randy Aiken, manufacturing manager at St. Albans, points out the Ben & Jerry’s pints being conveyed into the hardening tunnel. fudge pieces dumped into feeder hopper Solid fudge pieces are dumped from boxes into the fruit or chunk feeder hopper. The pieces are then pushed into the ice cream. quality check To ensure Ben & Jerry’s customers are getting the best experience, a number of quality assurance steps are performed before the pints leave the plant. Ben & Jerry's plant Ben & Jerry’s facility in St. Albans, Vt., is one of the biggest employers in the area. It was built in 1994, employs more than 200 people and runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week to produce more than 528,000 pints of ice cream a day. Hausbeck Pickle Co. produces pickles and peppers on a prodigious scale lindellc@bnpmedia.com (Crystal Lindell) Most people have likely never heard of The Hausbeck Pickle Co. in Saginaw, MI, but there’s a good chance they’ve had one of its pickles, banana peppers or jalapeños.

]]> http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97003 Wed, 11 Oct 2017 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97003-hausbeck-pickle-co-produces-pickles-and-peppers-on-a-prodigious-scale Innovation, tradition make Sanders and Morley Candy Makers a fabulous food plant lindellc@bnpmedia.com (Crystal Lindell) http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97002 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/97002-innovation-tradition-make-sanders-and-morley-candy-makers-a-fabulous-food-plant Salpa: The French company combining innovation and craftsmanship lindellc@bnpmedia.com (Crystal Lindell) http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/96482 Thu, 09 Feb 2017 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/96482-salpa-the-french-company-combining-innovation-and-craftsmanship Salpa's chocolates Chocolates are coated with marble coloring in the company’s turbines. chocolate tins Tins filled with the chocolates are packed for shipping with a robot. chocolate shells Chocolates shells are filled on the line. chocolate bars Yves Thuriès is launching new flavors of its bars to appeal to U.S. consumers, including dulce, matcha, peppermint, banana and mango. chocolate decorations The chocolate decorations are hand sealed onto the candies. Yves Thuries logo The Yves Thuriès logo has been updated to be simpler and ideally more appealing to consumers in the United States.