Murrieta, Calif.-based West Pak Avocado is adding a new full-service distribution center in Swedesboro, N.J.
The facility will offer ripening, bagging, repacking, and cold storage services and will service the Northeast and Midsouth regions of the U.S., according to a news release. The facility is slated to open in the first quarter of 2022, with a grand opening planned in March, according to the release.
“With the ever-growing demand for avocados, we saw the need to further expand our operations,” West Pak Avocado CEO Mario Pacheco said in the release. “Our East Coast addition was 18 months in the making with plans to open early 2022. Its strategic placement will enhance our national distribution network and bring added value and convenience to our customers.”
The proximity of Swedesboro to the Port of Philadelphia will support the company’s import programs from Peru, Chile, and Colombia, Pacheco said in the release. “Plus, the addition of this facility increases our supply chain efficiencies with direct shipments from our packing facility in Uruapan, Michoacán to our New Jersey distribution center,” he said in the release.
Consumption continues to rise in the Northeast and Midsouth, and the Swedesboro location will offer a valuable one-day service radius to the majority of the Northeast and Midsouth regions, Trevor Newhouse, vice president of operations, said in the release.
The facility features is an automated energy management system that West Pak is rolling out nationwide, company officials said in the release.
