Diamond Foods Inc. (DMND) said it plans to expand its production facility in Salem, Oregon at a cost of $8.4 million to meet increased demand for its Kettle Brand potato chips.
The Salem facility, which opened in 1999 and currently has over 180 production and distribution employees, produces approximately half of the nation's supply of the Kettle Brand product line.
The expansion will facilitate broader distribution of Kettle products on the West Coast and in the Southwest.
More than 15 new jobs will be created, and production capacity will be increased by 25%, the company noted. Ground breaking for the expansion is anticipated to take place in the third quarter of 2010 and completion is targeted for the second quarter of 2011.
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