Daniele Foods to build food processing facility in Rhode Island

Daniele Foods, a US-based producer of Italian style specialty foods, has announced an investment of $50m into the expansion of its production processes in Burrillville, Rhode Island, US.

The new facility will span over 300,000ft² and enable the company to address the demand in the region for its proscuitto, salami and other Italian food products.

The facility will connect to the company’s existing plant in Burrillville Commerce Park, and include environmentally friendly features to improve processes such as dry curing of Italian meat and packaging.

It will nearly double the capacity of the Burrillville Commerce Park facility, and will eventually replace one of the company’s existing facilities.

According to Daniele Foods, its business has been doubling every six or seven years due to the increased demand for ethnic and specialty foods in the US.

In 2010, the company had to recall nearly 1.2 million pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) varieties of Italian sausage products after its products were linked to a salmonella outbreak which affected 184 people in 38 states in the US.

Daniele Foods was later cleared by federal officials after the outbreak was traced to imported pepper that was distributed by Wholesome Spice, and despite the incident the company has experienced steady growth.

Daniele Foods, established in 1976, produces 23 million pounds of cured Italian meats annually, including proscuitto, salame, pancetta, chorizo, capocollo, mortadella, paninos, and chorizo.

The company currently has three production facilities and also exports its products to Latin America and several countries in Asia.

Image: San Daniele’s new facility will help the company to address the demand for its proscuitto, salami and other Italian food products. Photo: André Karwath.