Fri, July 22, 2011 1:49 pm EST

Columbus Foods Sharpens Plans for Growth with New, Cutting Edge Facility

The new plant is a 60,000-square-foot renovation of the company’s existing 120,000 square-foot distribution center in Hayward, California.

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HAYWARD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Columbus Foods, the venerable San Francisco Bay Area maker of authentic Italian salumi and premium deli meats, celebrates the grand opening of its new $31 million slicing and packaging facility in Hayward, Calif.

The state-of-the-art facility will slice and package the company’s extensive line of authentic Italian-style salame products and premium deli meats.

“The new plant, our first major project in decades, reflects Columbus’ potential for growth, as well as its unwavering commitment to quality, safety and production excellence. This facility builds on 94 years of tradition in making great tasting salame and deli meats,” said Tim Fallon, Columbus Foods CEO.

The new plant is a 60,000-square-foot renovation of the company’s existing 120,000 square-foot distribution center at 30977 San Antonio Street. The expansion includes 70 incremental employees and three production lines for slicing and packaging the company’s popular products into convenient, ready-to-eat packages. The additional capacity will help Columbus keep pace with growing national demand for its products.

The renovation project is designed to increase line efficiencies and implement some of the highest product safety and handling standards in food manufacturing, including high pressure processing (HPP) technology. This technology is one of the most advanced in the industry, using ultra-high pressure to protect against harmful bacteria without affecting a food product’s taste, texture, appearance or nutritional value.

Columbus worked with Stellar, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based design-build firm with expertise in food processing, packaging and manufacturing facilities. The Stellar team developed the architectural design, line layout, equipment purchase recommendations and construction of the project.

In addition to its facility in Hayward, Calif., Columbus operates a manufacturing plant in South San Francisco where it handcrafts its full collection of traditional and artisan salumi and suite of premium deli meats.

The new slicing and packaging facility in Hayward replaces Columbus’ South San Francisco slicing plant that was destroyed by a fire in July 2009, and was funded primarily by insurance proceeds.