Flagship Food Group has announced that it will further expand its manufacturing and distribution capacity in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area by building a state-of-the-art, 76,000 square-foot frozen food distribution warehouse that will serve customers throughout the USA. The new facility will also feature a research and development center, offices and a small interactive “museum” that pays tribute to New Mexico’s rich food culture.
Flagship’s 505 Southwestern brand (“505” signifies Albuquerque’s area code) is produced in New Mexico and certified as a “New Mexico True” product. Nearly $100 million worth of 505 Southwestern-branded products, ranging from frozen Breakfast Sausage MexiWraps to shelf stable sauces and salsas, are purchased annually at 125,000 points of sale throughout the world from Los Angeles to London.
The government of New Mexico is supporting the expansion project with a $550,000 contribution through the state’s closing fund, known as
LEDA. The total investment of private and public monies is approximately $3 million. It is expected that approximately 194 new jobs will be created once the facility is operational. In addition, about 100 workers will be engaged in construction at the site during the build-up period.
“Since day one, we’ve been fighting hard to make New Mexico more competitive with surrounding states through reforms like cutting taxes and streamlining regulations,” said Governor Susana Martinez, who joined Flagship CEO Rob Holland in making the warehouse construction announcement on August 15. “Results like these mean more jobs for New Mexicans, and give us even more momentum to build on as we keep working to grow and diversify our economy.”
“We are grateful for the support and business-friendly environment that New Mexico has given us,” said Holland. “The new distribution facility will help us better serve our customers and represents another important step in the growth and development of our company.”
Carlos Angulo, chief operating officer, led the project with support from Pat O’Keefe, president of the Flagship Logistics division. The warehouse will operate with a state-of-the-art inventory tracking system currently utilized at Flagship’s other coldstore.
“As our Southwestern food portfolio has doubled in size in only a few short years, we needed a facility that would warehouse our products and support customers across the country with extreme efficiency and reliability. Working with our amazing team of operators and professionals, we’ve taken the project from concept to a fully-operational facility in less than one year,” said Angulo.
About the Company
Headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, the Flagship Food Group employs more than 500 people in or near Denver, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Boise, Indianapolis and Minneapolis as well as in Albuquerque. In addition to 505 Southwestern, its TJ Farms, Lilly B’s, Chris & Pitts and Su Ming brands of diversified food products are distributed through conventional supermarkets and other retail grocery outlets, club store and foodservice channels.
