Goya Foods bets $250m on booming bean business
According to Goya Foods president Bob Unanue, the company stands out by offering numerous low-sodium, organic, diet-conscious, and sugar-free products. He said the mission of the additional facilities will be to further the firm’s goal of producing authentic, quality products without skimping on taste.
“With the growing Hispanic population and the need for good nutrition, it's an opportune time for Goya to expand," he said.
Production at the four US-sited facilities will serve existing and new markets, including North and Latin America, the Carribean, Africa, and Asia.
Production hub
The 350,000-square-foot Houston, Texas, facility, situated on 130 acres of farmland, opened this week. According to the manufacturer, the location will be the company’s hub for the manufacturing and distribution of Goya's healthy bean lines; it will output 1,000 cans of beans per minute serving west of Mississippi.
Goya Foods reportedly selected the Texas facility for its access to skilled workers, railroad transportation, and proximity to Houston's port and the Panama Canal for ease of global export. The facility is equipped with a water treatment plant which recycles and treats water used to soak and transport product, irrigate crops, and replenish local waterways.
Other locations
The 250,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles will serve all of the West coast; the 151,000 square foot facility in Atlanta will serve all of Georgia and the surrounding areas.
Goya's expanded Northeast headquarters in New Jersey, scheduled to open in fall of 2014 and stretching out over nearly 900,000 square feet, will have office space and a 638,000-square-foot warehouse.
Also, the company has renovated its 240,000-square-foot facility in Secaucus, New Jersey. It reportedly will produce 600 bags of rice mixes per minute—six times faster than its current rate.
