20 December 2007 - Robertet Flavors recently broke ground on a 60,000 square foot expansion of their US flavors facility. Attending the formal groundbreaking ceremony in central New Jersey were key Robertet executives from the United States and France, as well as a group of state and local officials.
The expansion project is a direct result of Robertet's strong market performance and sales growth in the US market, and is being undertaken only eight years after the company finished construction of their state-of-the-art U.S. Flavors Headquarters.
The facility will greatly expand Robertet's large-scale liquid production capabilities, including juice blending and high volume homogenization, and will further increase the company's refrigerated, frozen, and ambient warehouse storage and high speed packaging capabilities. Utilizing the latest production technologies, the facility will help further consolidate Robertet's reputation for providing quality products in an efficient and highly flexible manner.
Located on the fourteen-acre Piscataway, New Jersey campus of Robertet's U.S. flavors facility, this second liquid production site has been designed as a separate, self contained building, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2008.
"This twenty-million dollar capital investment further demonstrates Robertet's commitment to our customers and to the Robertet Group's growth in the U.S. market," said Peter Lombardo, President of Robertet North America, as he addressed the group gathered for the groundbreaking. "This expansion will dramatically increase our capabilities in servicing the requirements of Robertet's growing customer base."
Lombardo added that, "this project comes during a remarkable period in Robertet history. Not only are we breaking ground on our liquid blending facility expansion, but we're also near completion of a 60,000 square foot dry blending facility on an adjacent property, which will triple our current powdered products capacity. That facility will consolidate spray drying and proprietary encapsulation technologies, as well as tea powder blending into one central location. I'm pleased to report that we expect the dry blending facility to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2008."
Skanska USA Building Inc. will oversee both of Robertet's U.S.expansion projects. The company, a leading provider of comprehensive construction services, has managed several high profile constructionprojects in the U.S., including Reliant Stadium in Houston and Gilette Stadium in Boston. Skanska is concurrently at work on the new Yankee Stadium in New York City, and the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey.
About Robertet Flavor
The Robertet Group is a major supplier of flavors, fragrances and raw materials worldwide. Established in Grasse, France in 1850, Robertet is one of the top ten companies in the flavor and fragrance industry and a leading manufacturer of natural, high quality essential oils, extracts and isolates. Robertet Flavors, Inc., the group's U.S. flavor division, operates a state-of- the-art R&D center and compounding facility in central New Jersey. Robertet Flavors provides exceptional flavor compounds,technical expertise, and applications solutions to food and beverage processors, continuing a long tradition of industry innovation and leadership.