Calbee America, Inc. a subsidiary of Japan-based Calbee Foods Co., has begun construction on a new manufacturing plant in Solano Business Park in Fairfield, Calif. The company is moving its manufacturing operation from Sebastopol, Calif.
The new facility will be 40,000 square feet, four-times larger than its plant in Sebastopol, and includes the ability to expand by 35,000 square feet.
Construction is expected to be completed in October of this year. Plans are also underway for the company to move its headquarters from Torrance, Calif., to the Fairfield site.
Calbee America markets and distributes healthful snack foods including Snapea Crisps, Shrimp Flavored Chips and a variety of other chip products. Its offerings are supplied to retailers throughout the United States, Canada and parts of Europe.
“We chose Fairfield after looking at many Bay Area sites, from north of Santa Rosa, south to Fremont, and in the end Fairfield was the most favorable,” said Masanori Yasunaga, president and CEO of Calbee. “Its location near major freeways makes it a good distribution point, and its excellent water quality and supply were a major factor in our decision to move here.”
In other activity in the food industry sector, Guittard Chocolate will begin moving its manufacturing operations from Burlingame, Calif., to Fairfield. Initial production is expected to be in place by 2007, and plans are for its entire manufacturing operation to be in Fairfield over the next several years. Currently the chocolate maker uses its 280,000 square foot warehouse in Fairfield as a distribution center.
