SunOpta to Expand Non-Dairy Beverage Capacity

SunOpta, a processor and packager of natural and organic food products, announced plans to expand its Modesto, CA, operations in order to expand its non-dairy beverage processing and packaging capabilities.

Currently, the company produces natural and organic soymilks, rice beverages, almond beverages, hemp and milk broths, as well as the company’s recently launched brand-name sunflower beverage, SoL.

The company says that the expansion will include the addition of more processing technologies, which are expected to increase capacity at the Modesto plant by 40% and the company’s overall aseptic non-dairy beverage and broth capacity by approximately 10%. Post-expansion, the company says it will have the ability to produce between 250 and 300 million quarts of non-dairy beverages and broths.

The expansion will start in the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to be complete in the third quarter of next year.

The company says that expansion will meet growing demand for aseptic non-dairy beverages, broths, and soups from existing customers. It will also accommodate the production of new private-label non-dairy beverages that will soon be launched with a large club-format retailer early next year.