Condies Foods Inc., a company processing and packaging fresh produce, is completing a $1.2 million expansion of its facility at 4850 S. 5200 West.
Improvements include a new 8,000 square-foot refrigerated storage area, a 2,000 square-foot addition to the office, an expanded parking lot and some new equipment and machinery. The facility now has 80,000 square feet.Funds for the expansion came from a Small Business Administration 504 loan, Zions First National Bank and Salt Lake County Revolving Loan Fund and were arranged by Deseret Certified Development Co.
The addition was designed by Salt Lake architect Ed Dryer and is being built by Big D Construction, Ogden.
This is the second expansion for Condies Foods. A similar project was completed three years ago.
Gary Black, one of the operators, attributes the expansion to growth in the dining-out business. With more women working, they need more convenient ways to feed their families. Families eat out more and buy foods like packaged salads and vegetables from Condies.
Condies employs 185 but will add 35 employees in the next two months to handle the production increase. The company was started in Salt Lake City 51 years ago by Charles F. Black and is now run by his three sons, Charles Jr., the farming manager; Gary, who handles sales and distribution; and Bruce, who is the plant manager.
The family also owns a farm in Syracuse, from which some of the produce comes for processing.