Misionero Vegetables is supplying fresh salads to the Northeast from a new processing facility in Brantford, Ontario.
The 70,000-square-foot plant is under the direction of Hugh Bowman, president of Misionero Ltd., according to a news release from the company’s Gonzales, Calif., headquarters. Calls for comment were not immediately returned.
“This location was selected for its skilled labor force, easier access to customers and the opportunity to bring a respected veteran, Hugh Bowman, into the Misionero Group to head this operation,” president and chief executive officer of Misionero Vegetables Stephen Griffin said in the release.
Daily deliveries from the new facility have begun, according to the release. Both organic and conventional salads are prepared at the plant. New salad product lines are slated in 2014, according to the news release.
Dan Canales, vice president of sales and marketing at Misionero Vegetables, said in the release that the decision to locate the new facility in Brantford was partly because of Bowman’s presence. He was most recently president and chief operating officer at Bayshore Vegetable Shippers Ltd., Burlington, Ontario.
“Hugh’s experience, reputation and involvement in the produce landscape, aligned perfectly with what we want to accomplish in the coming years,” Canales said in the release.
Bowman is a member of the 2013-14 board of directors for the Canadian Produce Marketing Association. He was president of Ippolito Fruit and Produce Ltd. from 1996 to 2011.
Reports in the Canadian media indicate the new Misionero facility in Brantford provided 70 jobs upon opening, with the potential to grow its staff to 130 in 2014.