Private label frozen ready meals specialist Request Foods has announced plans to invest $205 million to expand production operations in Holland, Michigan, USA. The company, which currently has a full-time workforce of approximately 900 employees, is a major co-packer of custom entrées, side dishes, appetizers, sauces and desserts for retail, wholesale and foodservice customers.
The four-phase expansion program includes boosting manufacturing capacity at an existing 300,000-square-foot factory on Greenly Street; construction of a cold storage warehouse on Ransom Street; building a ready-to eat (RTE) products plant on three parcels of property adjacent to Quincy Street and John F Donnelly Street; and expand and upgrade a wastewater pre-treatment plant.
The project has received financial incentives from state and local government agencies, including: a $2 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant; an Agriculture Renaissance Zone with an estimated value of $11 million for the RTE facility; $6.9 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to Holland Charter Township for machinery and equipment needed for the RTE facility and the Greenly Street expansion; approval of an Alternative State Essential Services Assessment exemption.
“Our investment is expected to create up to 198 new jobs, with most of our new team members residing in Ottawa County (Holland Township). While we received enticing offers to expand in other states, our commitment to Michigan, coupled with our desire to ensure Holland is recognized as an area of choice to live and work, precipitated our decision to expand locally,” said Request Foods CFO Menaka Abel.
