SunOpta Opens New Fruit Snacks Line in Omak, Washington
SunOpta announced it has opened a new production line for better-for-you fruit snacks at its Omak, Wash., processing facility that is expected to increase fruit snack production capacity by 25%.
The new line represents an investment of more than $25 million, the company noted, and is expected to position SunOpta to better serve accelerating demand for better-for-you fruit snacks, said Brian Kocher, CEO of SunOpta, in the release. In October 2023, SunOpta also expanded the Omak plant, nearly doubling the output at that time. Today, the facility employs more than 260 people, all focused on the production of natural and organic fruit snacks sold in retail, club, foodservice and e-commerce channels.
SunOpta, which was acquired earlier this year by global beverage company Refresco, produces its fruit snacks using an apple base, and juice concentrates from strawberries, blueberries, lemon, pomegranate and other fruits and vegetables — with real fruit, and no artificial colors, high-fructose corn syrup or any of the “big 9 allergens” in the U.S.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.