Closer to blueberry and cranberry production
US: Stay Fresh Foods announces out-of-state expansion to NJ
“It’s the next logical business progression,” said Midstate Chamber of Commerce President Sean Moore.
By the end of this year, Stay Fresh Foods, headquartered at 65 Chamberlain Highway, will open a processing facility in the area of southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, according to a statement by the company earlier this month.
Amy Lawless, the company’s managing director, could not be reached for comment.
A new facility is needed to serve customers in the mid-Atlantic region, the company said.
Stay Fresh Foods specializes in high-pressure food processing. The process involves applying high water pressure to already packed food. The process eliminates the need to add preservatives or chemicals to extend shelf life and retains more of the fresh flavour. In May, Lawless told the Record-Journal that the process “kills food-borne pathogens like listeria, E. coli and salmonella” while “extending the shelf life of food.”
Earlier this summer, Stay Fresh completed a 16,000-square-foot addition in Meriden, bringing the company’s total space to 32,000 square feet. The addition houses a second high-pressure processor. As of May, the company employed 40 people in Meriden and expected to add about 25 to 30 workers by the end of summer.
Stay Fresh opened in February 2013, next to Ragozzino Foods on Chamberlain Highway. Lawless is the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Ragozzino, both of whom are partners in the company. Stay Fresh is separate from Ragozzino Foods, the well-known company that serves restaurants and supermarkets.
The equipment is made by Avure Technologies and is available globally. Stay Fresh is the only Northeast processor using the technology, according to Lawless.
Besides extending shelf life, high-pressure packaging retains freshness in juice, which is important in New Jersey, the company’s website states. New Jersey is second in U.S. blueberry production and third in cranberry production.
“When you actually move your product closer to the market, it reduces costs and increases consumption,” Moore said.
Source: myrecordjournal.com
