BURRILLVILLE, RI – Daniele Foods recently broke ground on a $50 million, 300,000-sq.-ft. facility that will double the company’s production capacity and bring jobs to the community. Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and other state and local dignitaries attended the ceremony.

Daniele Foods, which makes finely cured Italian meats, produces more than 23 million lbs. of product annually and ships more than 100 million packages of its Del Duca brand prosciutto, sopressata, salame, pancetta, mortadella and capocollo. The family-owned and operated company’s products are sold to supermarkets, grocers, delis and restaurants nationwide. Export markets include Canada, Mexico, China and Korea. It has been operating in Rhode Island since 1976.

“Rhode Island is our home,” said Vlado Dukcevich, Daniele Foods chairman. “We are pleased to be able to expand here. This new factory will not only grow our footprint, it will give us the capacity to double our production.”

The state-of-the-art plant will exceed international energy codes by 44 percent, according to the company. It will include continuous insulated paneling, high-efficiency lighting, and a white roof membrane to reduce solar heat and minimize energy costs, the company said. Daniele Foods is also working with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to explore using solar panels and other renewable energy sources.

Daniele Foods currently employs more than 300 people, and the company plans to expand its workforce once the new facility comes online. The construction is expected to generate 250 jobs.

“This expansion will not only increase the number of full-time jobs at Daniele, which already employs more than 300 people,” said Gov. Chafee, “it will fuel hundreds of jobs in our struggling construction industry.”