Buddy’s Kitchen Inc., a provider of custom solutions in ready-to-eat frozen food for travel, convenience and retail customers, has acquired the former Arden Kitchens frozen food facility in Lakeville, Minnesota, from Bellisio Foods Inc. Arden offers packed frozen products for restaurant and various chain stores. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The former Arden Kitchens facility, which has been empty since 2013, is 92,000 sq. ft. and sits on 16 acres.
“We’re growing rapidly and need the extra space to accommodate that growth,” said Dave Smith, CEO of Buddy’s Kitchen.
Buddy’s Kitchen currently operates a 65,000-sq.-ft. leased facility in Burnsville, Minnesota. The company employs more than 300 people at the plant and expects to add up to 150 more jobs when it opens the Lakeville facility in early 2017, after extensive renovations.
“We have almost eight years left on the Burnsville lease and plan to operate both facilities for the foreseeable future,” Smith said.
Buddy’s Kitchen offers frozen sandwiches, breakfast entrees and burritos, and is known for supplying custom gourmet breakfast products for airline and convenience food service, the company said. Buddy’s recently added capabilities to produce gluten-free and organic products.
By Rebekah Schouten
Source: Meat + Poultry
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