Topeka, KS, April 25, 2018 – Just over one year ago, Reser’s Fine Foods broke ground on a 320,000 square foot prepared salad plant that sits on more than 40 acres; yesterday, they celebrated the grand opening.

“Our partnership with this community goes back decades, so yesterday we not only celebrated our new plant, but also our continued commitment to the City of Topeka,” said President Mark Reser.  “The speed with which we were able to build this new facility is a testament to why it made perfect sense to expand our business here again – we all worked together toward a shared goal of long-term growth, for both the company and the community.”

The new prepared salad plant will not only support the sustained growth Reser’s has experienced over the past several years, but will also position the company for future expansion. The plant began full production on March 13th of this year, and is already exceeding daily production expectations.

“This expansion is a huge win for Topeka and its residents,” said Matt Pivarnik, President and CEO of the Greater Topeka Partnership. “Reser’s provides sustainable careers with competitive salary and benefit packages. But more than that, the plant was built in record time and the majority of the work was done by local and regional companies, adding to the overall economic impact.”

During its peak periods, the new plant will:

  • Process 10 – 12 truckloads of potatoes per day
  • Process 2 truckloads of cabbage per day
  • Cook over a truckload of pasta per day
  • Process a truckload of celery and whole cooked eggs every other day
  • Make nearly 400 unique products
  • Shuttle 50 – 60 trucks a day to the Distribution Center that will, in turn, ship up to 70 truckloads a day across the United States

“Reser’s has a long history in Topeka and we were thrilled to support them in their new endeavor,” said Michelle De La Isla, Mayor of Topeka. “We look forward to the positive impact this expansion will have on our community and the residents employed there.”

Of their current 1,100 employees at the Topeka campus, 390 will work in the prepared salad plant. The new positions created will provide annual wages of approximately $25,000 plus benefits.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Amy McCarter at 785.234.1030 or Amy.McCarter@TopekaPartnership.com.