Wright Foods Food Processing Plant

Wright Foods, a division of Aseptia, opened a new food processing plant in August 2012. The plant is located in the Troy Industrial Park in Troy, North Carolina, US.

The plant has been built to address consumer demand for convenient and affordable food that is both nutritious and tasty. It will produce high-quality shelf stable food products such as sauces, tomato products and desserts in aseptic cartons.

The 37,000ft² plant is provided with space for future expansion. Aseptia plans to invest $10.15m in the plant over the next three years.

The plant will create approximately 35 permanent jobs. Eventually around 100 people are expected to be employed. The project is expected to generate average annual wages of around $31,470 plus benefits.

Choosing the Troy Industrial Park location

Wright Foods examined several sites in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia for the new plant. The Troy location was finalised due to the favourable business climate. To attract the facility to the region, state officials provided a $150,000 grant through the One North Carolina Fund.

The availability of a well-educated and skilled workforce was another reason for setting up the plant in the region.

Construction of the Wright Foods plant

The plant is located in the Troy Business Center on a site which was formerly occupied by a chicken processing plant.

Wright Foods acquired the site in January 2012. The plant was renovated and retrofitted with new equipment.

Product development and contract packing facilities

Wright Foods will provide product development and contract packing facilities for corporate customers through the plant. It will help customers in launching innovative products by developing recipe and product formulations.

The plant is equipped with the Combibloc CB5 aseptic carton packaging machine. The machine uses aseptic filling technology which is ideal for the particulate and viscous products developed by the facility. It is capable of packaging various volumes including 500ml, 750ml, 32oz, 1l and 1.1l.

The machine enables easy change in packaging volumes by making simple adjustments. There is no need to re-sterilise or replace any parts in the machine. This flexibility enables a smooth production process and also reduces the manpower required.

Processing and packaging at the food processing plant

The new plant will use a process developed by two food scientists, Josip Simunovic and Ken Swartzel, of the North Carolina (NC) State University. The process will transform raw fruits and vegetables into juices, sauces and other products.

Following the development of the initial recipe, the product will go through comprehensive testing. The plant is equipped with a quality assurance lab which uses HACCP-based processes and controls to test the products.

Wright Foods will also help in developing a packaging design for the product according to customer requirements. The products will be packaged using SIG Combibloc packaging technology under the customer’s brand names.

The products will be packaged in combiblocStandard aseptic carton format supplied by SIG Combibloc. The cartons are produced using pharmaceutical-like technology developed by the NC State University. The technology uses sterilisation to retain maximum flavour and nearly 90% of the nutritional value, antioxidants and vitamins in the food.

The packaging protects the product from light, odour and oxygen. It enables a fully printable display to attract consumers. It also enables consumers to use the products with ease. The cartons are 100% recyclable, reducing the environmental impact.

Technology

The patented technology includes rapid heating and cooling of the product. It destroys the bacteria present in the food without affecting the flavour, resulting in a better-tasting product. The process also enables fruits and vegetables to stay fresh for longer periods of time without the need for refrigeration and addition of preservatives. It retains the flavour, colour and nutrients of the foods.

Aseptia has also licensed this technology to Empire Foods, which is planning to build a new plant in Halifax. Empire Foods will use Aseptia’s technology to package fruits and vegetables for restaurants, hotels, schools and other institutions.

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