Goya Foods Houston Facility, Texas

Goya Foods is a leading food processor in Latin America. Image: courtesy of cathyse97.

The Houston facility serves as the manufacturing and distribution centre for Goya’s canned beans line. Image: courtesy of Paul Goyette.

The new facility will manufacture around 1,000 cans of beans a minute. Image: courtesy of Jeremy Brooks.

America’s largest Hispanic-owned food company Goya Foods opened its new facility in Houston, Texas, in March 2014. The facility serves as a manufacturing and distribution centre for Goya’s canned beans line.

The new modern manufacturing, production and distribution facility was built as a part a $250m investment for a global expansion to meet consumer demands for Goya’s healthy product lines. Three more facilities are located in Georgia, California and New Jersey.

Goya’s Houston facility details

The new Houston facility is spread across 350,000ft² of a 130-acre farm near Brookshire, Texas. It has a capacity to produce approximately 1,000 cans of beans a minute and to meet demand from consumers west of Mississippi.

The processing facility is built as part of expanding the 138,000ft² plant and the distribution facility has been operational since March 2006. The new facility is strategically located providing access to railroad, the Port of Houston and the Panama Canal. It also has a favourable business climate and access to skilled workforce.

The advanced water treatment plant at the facility recycles and purifies water used for the soaking and transporting of beans and other products.

Details of the new processing and distribution centre

The new 160,800ft² two-storey distribution centre facilitates the shipping department to oversee the loading dock. It is accompanied by a cannery of the same size and is close to a 122,840ft² warehouse and the 160,000ft² production floor.

It also consists of several satellite buildings, which are fitted with sophisticated water pumps, boiler room, outdoor processing equipment, a wastewater treatment plant and refrigeration equipment.

The new facility is outfitted with features to allow sufficient service and power distribution to meet the company’s present needs and also provide service in case of future expansion of distribution, production and other supporting amenities. It uses clean, low-emission materials and T-5 lighting.

Detention and mitigation ponds are built to contain 20.24-acre feet of gravity drainage.

Key players involved

KDW was contracted for the design and construction of the supporting infrastructure such as storm drainage system, road improvements, a wastewater treatment plant, a rail spur and raid dock. The company also constructed an outdoor test kitchen at the project site for preparing and sample testing of food products.

Marketing commentary

Founded in 1936, Goya Foods is a leading food processing company in Latin America. It manufactures packages and distributes more than 2,200 high-quality food products consisting of condiments, pantry items, beverages and frozen foods from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America.