Blue Diamond Growers has opened its latest 52,000 square-foot, energy-saving manufacturing facility in California. The event marks the completion of the facility to add new pasteurization technology and processing lines.
"It's an exciting time for Blue Diamond as we continue to invest in our facilities here in Salida and across the Central Valley to better meet the growing demand for our products worldwide," says Mark Jansen, President and CEO for Blue Diamond Growers. "The new building design and innovative processing technology we're deploying provides the highest quality almonds to our customers and consumers."
The facility has been engineered to support future expansion plans as needed and is the first within the almond industry to use Log5 technology across two of its natural pasteurization lines - one for processing whole almonds and the other for dry roasting on an integrated line. Meanwhile, a third line will use an innovative design with custom features to produce the finest flour texture in the industry.
In addition, the facility features several energy-saving attributes including LED lighting, a multi-staged HVAC system, and temperature-controlled processes. To meet and exceed today's stringent food safety standards, the new facility houses separate room enclosures with electronic-controlled entry to better control environmental conditions, along with automated pressurized air and automated controls for all processes and packaging.
The integrated processing lines will also move finished product direct to cold storage and shipping and will greatly reduce material handling and trucking costs. Beneath the facility, buried perforated pipe will keep stormwater on-site to recharge the ground water and deliver it directly to the soil.
