CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. – The big reveal of SugarCreek Packing Co.’s new Cambridge City cook plant is still a few months away. But the company offered a glimpse of what’s to come as the company prepares to open the facility on July 1 via a time-lapse videoof the technology coming together in the plant.
SugarCreek, a diversified food manufacturer, built the 435,000 sq. ft. facility for a reported cost of $120 million. The company plans to launch a portfolio of ready-to-eat products when the facility opens.
But the centerpiece of the plant is a commercial-scale sous vide cooking line. Sous vide is a method of cooking food in sealed plastic bags in steam or a temperature-controlled water bath. The technique has been relegated to small-batch preparation at high-end foodservice operation. SugarCreek intends to buck the niche-product trend with its own product offerings.
“With this new plant, SugarCreek will be able to introduce sous vide-prepared foods to a broader and far more diverse audience of the nation’s major food brands.”
SugarCreek bought a former Really Cool Foods plant in Cambridge City during a bankruptcy auction in Indianapolis for $13 million. For another $28.5 million, the company expanded the plant and upgraded equipment. SugarCreek’s timeline involves installing and staffing a line each year until 2016.
