FreshPoint Central Florida Facility Expansion, Orlando

The opening ceremony of the FreshPoint Central Florida facility was held on 22 January 2020. Credit: FreshPoint Inc.

The US FDA-compliant facility adheres to the Homeland Security bioterrorism guidelines. Credit: FreshPoint Inc.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the new facility was held in May 2018. Credit: FreshPoint Inc.

The facility has a refrigerated delivery fleet of 115 trucks with digitally controlled temperature systems. Credit: FreshPoint Inc.

The FreshPoint Central Florida facility is equipped with SQF Level 2 certification. Credit: FreshPoint Inc.

Culinary specialists at the centre assist customers in menu planning and product innovation. Credit: FreshPoint Inc.

Sysco’s specialty produce company FreshPoint opened its expanded FreshPoint Central Florida facility in the US on 22 January 2020. An opening ceremony event was held to mark the completion of the facility’s renovation.

The project expanded the produce processing and distribution centre to more than double its size, from 72,000ft² to 150,000ft². The ground-breaking ceremony was held in May 2018.

The expansion allows FreshPoint to better serve its local partners, including suppliers, farmers and other business partners.

FreshPoint Central Florida facility location and details

The 150,000ft² facility is located at 8,801 Exchange Drive in Orlando, Florida, US. The expansion added 75,000ft² to the existing 76,000ft² building.

The facility is equipped with an 18,000ft² processing and production area, installed with new equipment to support the company’s FreshCuts processing operations.

The facility’s new culinary centre is designed to display new products and help customers in developing menu designs. It will provide enhanced capabilities to produce custom-cut fruit and vegetable products.

FreshPoint Central Florida facility expansion details

During the project, FreshPoint undertook the relocation and upgrade of sanitary production areas for produce cuts, employee welfare spaces, maintenance areas, battery charging areas for material handling equipment and other ancillary spaces.

The company’s upgraded facility features a new central ammonia refrigeration system for the cooling of production areas. A Reyco food waste system was installed to reduce production waste.

FreshPoint’s Central Florida centre includes a new parking lot to accommodate trucks and employee vehicles. An elevated guardhouse was built at the site for security. The project also added a new cooler with different temperature zones, cold dock, banana rooms, and dock offices.

Other enhancements included the refurbishment of the Loadmaster roofing system on the existing building and the addition of a secondary electrical service.

FreshPoint Central Florida facility sustainable features

The new facility includes several sustainability features, including energy-efficient coolers and an LED lighting system. The food waste system is designed to collect waste from the produce and grind it for use in composting and energy generation.

The site also has a battery charging station equipped with fast charging technology.

Contractors involved

Lockwood, Andrews and Newman (LAN) was contracted to provide the project’s design, structural engineering, construction management and inspection services.

The company also oversaw the plumbing, electrical and mechanical services for upgraded facility expansion.

FreshPoint’s product portfolio

FreshPoint Central Florida offers a range of locally grown produce, including citrus fruits, Zellwood ‘triple-sweet corn’, tomatoes, specialty potatoes, microgreens, peaches, figs, grapes and tropical fruits.

Marketing commentary on FreshPoint

FreshPoint is engaged in the distribution of fruits and vegetables in North America. The company serves a variety of customers, including food chains, hotels, clubs and resorts, fine dining and quick-service restaurants, educational institutions, healthcare, cruise lines, theme parks, and export markets.

Established in 1865, the company operates across multiple North American locations, including Arkansas, Arizona, California, Charlotte, Oklahoma, Nashville, Central Florida, Puerto Rico, Raleigh, Texas, Vancouver, Richmond, and Tampa.

The renovated and expanded FreshPoint Central Florida facility caters to clients in the Northern and Central Florida region covering Tallahassee, Vero Beach, Sebring and other areas. The distribution network also includes Savannah and Hilton Head, South Carolina, St Simons Island and coastal Georgia. The facility has a refrigerated delivery fleet of 115 trucks.

FreshPoint also provides customers with training in areas such as temperature, storage conditions, rotation, and proper product handling. It allows customers to place orders online and provides services such as menu designs and tabletop and holiday promotions. The packaging designs of FreshPoint’s brands enable readability and sustainability.