Streamwood, IL-
By ANUK Staff
2.25.13
Chiquita’s Fresh Express is set to begin operations at its new plant at a former Duraco Products site in Streamwood, Illinois, making it the single largest employer in the area.
Maker of packaged, ready-to-eat salads, Fresh Express will employ over 700 at the facility.
"It's taking a facility that has been vacant for more than two years," Streamwood Village Manager Gary O'Rourke said.
As filling large vacant buildings can present a significant challenge for municipalities, officials view the reoccupation as a great success.
Converting the industrial site to one that will be handling food products required an extensive overhaul, part of which the village was involved in.
"They have a significant need for water supply and sewer capacity," O'Rourke said of the new plant.
Because of the economic development the project is bringing, however, the village received a state grant of $500,000 that helped pay for a new water main to serve the new facility as well as others.
A large part of the plant will be insulated and refrigerated to keep food fresh, maintaining a temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
The company is in the process of preparing its first production line at the new plant, but the full transition from other sites is expected to take a few months, O'Rourke said.
Companies in this Story
Chiquita
Chiquita is a leading global company with 20,000 employees across 70 countries. We are passionate about our nutritious,…
Fresh Express
The Fresh Express story begins way back in the Roaring Twenties. It was at that time that our founder, a California…
