Stay Fresh Foods said it plans to double its workforce in Meriden after a recent expansion and addition of a multi-million dollar machine that uses pressure, rather than heat, to eliminate bacteria, molds and other contaminants in packaged foods.
Stay Fresh recently purchased a 350-liter high pressure processor from Avure Technologies. It’s the second HPP machine for Stay Fresh, which will use it to process juices, deli meats, ready-to-eat meals and other products.
Managing Director Amy Lawless said Tuesday morning that growth in its customers’ businesses created a need for more processing capacity at Stay Fresh. She said the company plans to double its workforce to approximately 80 over the next year as a result.
Lawless would not disclose the price of the machine, but the Journal Star of Nebraska pegged the cost of a similar machine in 2012 at more than $2 million.
Stay Fresh Foods was founded in 2012, and its management includes several members of the Ragozzino family, which owns nearby Italian food wholesaler and retailer Ragozzino Foods.
