Really Cool Foods, a natural and organic prepared foods company, held a ribbon cutting ceremony today to announce the grand opening of its $24 million state-of-the-art production and distribution center located in Cambridge City, Indiana. The 78,200-square-foot facility incorporates the latest in technology in both food preparation and packaging. This is the first development of a planned complex employing about 250 workers once at full capacity in Phase One with more than 1,000 jobs planned with the development of future phases.

“This is a tremendous day for Really Cool Foods. Our passion and mission is realized with the opening of this facility,” says Michael Recanati, founder and CEO of Really Cool Foods. “The people of Indiana have welcomed us and we have a first-class workforce that will provide Really Cool Foods the ability to move forward with our national growth strategy.”

Recanati, who was joined by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and hundreds of business and community leaders, announced Really Cool Foods will move its corporate headquarters from New York City to the new Cambridge City facility effective immediately. This corporate relocation will bring as many as fifty new jobs and another national headquarters to the state of Indiana.

According to company executives, the new production and distribution center strengthens Really Cool Foods ability to deliver high-quality, natural and organic prepared foods to consumers through a growing network of national retailers operating in 19 states today, and 48 states very soon.

“This new facility and its strategic location in the Midwest will allow Really Cool Foods to reach new market channels and introduce new categories of prepared foods to consumers looking for healthy, cost-effective choices for themselves and their families,” says Beth McDonald, co-president of Really Cool Foods.

The Really Cool Foods National Production and Distribution Center uses the newest food safety technologies and is a USDA-certified organic commissary. The company’s second commissary, located in Syosset, New York, is 35,000 square feet and is also a USDA-certified organic production facility.

“In addition to food preparation and packaging operations, the Indiana commissary facility has a research and development test kitchen that is used for custom product development in coordination with our customers and we expect to launch two new branded product lines in spring 2009,” Recanati says.

“The opening of Phase One in this facility will triple the production capacity of Really Cool Foods to approximately 100,000 pounds of freshly prepared foods per day,” says
Grant Lorsung, Really Cool Foods EVP and COO.