Posted by Heidi Schwartz
Golden State Foods (GSF) Corp. company officials have announced the company’s decision to build a new state of the art meat processing facility in Opelika, AL. The capital investment in the facility is estimated to be between $40 and $45 million and GSF is expected to create 173 new jobs in the city.
Mayor Gary Fuller stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Golden State Foods to Opelika! The company will make a great addition to our diverse manufacturing community.”
Established in 1947, GSF currently services more than 125,000 restaurants from its 45 locations on five continents. In 2012, GSF acquired KanPak China, which enabled it to expand its liquid products and produce production capabilities into China and venture into dairy-based products. The following year, the company acquired KanPak U.S. to expand these offerings further throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
GSF also acquired another liquid products facility in New Zealand, called Groenz as well as Snap Fresh Foods in 2014, New Zealand’s leading retail produce company. Each of these acquisitions enabled Golden State to continue to meet the needs of fast-growing international markets. In the U.S., QCD expanded to 10 distribution centers across the country, adding centers in Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, California, Suffolk, Virginia, and Orlando and Miami, Florida.
The company opened its newest Chicago distribution center in October 2014. The new building now serves more than 460 McDonald’s customers in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana market and will be the first center within GSF and the McDonald’s distribution community to be LEED Gold Certified.
Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield extended greetings and congratulations from Governor Bentley and said, “Alabama continues to attract great companies like Golden State Foods. We are glad to support their growth here in Opelika.”
Wayne Morgan, Corporate Vice President, President Meat Group Golden State Foods, stated, “After careful consideration, we selected Opelika as the site for our new facility based on the strategic location along I-85, the available workforce and the atmosphere of industry and government cooperation.”
Golden State Foods is headquartered in Irvine, CA. It is one of the largest diversified suppliers to the Quick Service Restaurant and retail industries.
Golden State has continued to increase its product and customer offerings along with expanding the company internationally. Now with approximately 5,000 associates worldwide, GSF’s core businesses include: processing and distribution of liquid products, meat products, produce, dairy, and other services, providing a variety of networked solutions for the total supply chain spectrum.
