A food entrepreneur is preparing to expand her company's offerings and move into food preservation for companies across the region. To do so, it is investing millions of dollars into new equipment and facilities in Albuquerque, with a bit of help from the state.
The company, New Mexico Fresh Foods, will debut its new 20,000-square-foot food processing facility on June 17. It serves as the home for what is called a high-pressure processing machine, which uses pressurized water to remove pathogens and extend the shelf life of fresh food. There are a limited number of providers in the region, and the technology will allow New Mexico Fresh Foods to offer high-pressure processing services to customers, according to CEO Kelly Egolf. The technology will allow companies “to get out of the freezer," she said.
New Mexico Fresh Foods' HPP machine cost about $2 million, though the equipment can range in cost from between $500,000 to more than $3 million per machine, according to Food Engineering. Many food companies, such as Wholly Guacamole, use high-pressure processing. The “largest profit is [from] co-manufacturing and co-packaging for other companies," Egolf said, adding that the firm plans to purchase a second HPP machine in the future.
Her former food company, a Santa Fe juice producer called Verde Food Company, used to ship its beverages to Denver for high-pressure processing. Otherwise, the juice didn't have a shelf life long enough for the company to ship it to customers. New Mexico Fresh Foods acquired Verde's assets, said Egolf, who founded both firms.
Food production is an important piece of the economy in New Mexico, which has become known for its green chile, nut and dairy farms. And with New Mexico Fresh Foods' new capabilities, some of those producers, as well as food and beverage companies in other states, may not have to travel as far to find a high-pressure processing services provider.
The state previously awarded the company $750,000 in Local Economic Development Act incentives as part of the expansion. LEDA money is used as a closing fund to grow existing New Mexico businesses and recruit others to the state.
“New Mexico exports the vast majority of its agricultural products and then restaurants and families pay to reimport this food back into the state. We see this as investment in local agriculture, small businesses, and agricultural producers across the state,” New Mexico Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said in a November statement.
Its new facility is located at 5600 Venice Ave. NE, not far from Balloon Fiesta Park. The building cost of the facility is about $10 million, Egolf said. New Mexico Fresh Foods can process 40 million pounds of food per year, she said.
New Mexico Fresh Foods plans to hire dozens of workers in the next couple years. It has 12 employees with plans to hire a total of 26 people by year's end. The starting wage is $12.50 but employees typically earn between $14 and $17 per hour, and people with more food processing experience begin at a higher wage, according to Egolf. The company offers health, dental and vision with a 60% employer match, she said.
The company plans to hire 74 employees throughout five years, according to the state.
