Louisville-based Fresca expands in Aurora

LOUISVILLE – Contract food manufacturer Fresca Foods Inc. recently opened a 120,000-square-foot warehouse space it is leasing near Pena Boulevard and Interstate 70 in Aurora to help with client company growth.

Louisville-based Fresca Foods is not publicizing the warehouse’s street address for food-safety reasons, and there’s no company sign there, said Liz Myslik, executive vice president for marketing and sales, and an owner of the company.

But Fresca workers are excited to work on new product lines for three Colorado companies – a big part of the general growth that led to the new warehouse, Myslik said.

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One of the new products is an “oatmeal cup” for consumers who want to eat oatmeal on the go, from client Love Grown Foods LLC in Denver, Myslik said. Two other companies in the region are launching snack food products, Myslik said. Both companies want to remain anonymous at the moment, she said.

Fresca’s existing client companies in Louisville, including 34 Degrees, the Denver-based cracker company, also are growing, leading to the need for more warehousing space and workers, Myslik said.

“It’s how well all of our partners are doing and how well everyone is growing,” Myslik said in explaining the new Denver warehouse location. “The industry is thriving, demand is growing, and we continue to grow our facilities and teams and processes.”

While the new warehouse almost doubled Fresca Foods’ footprint, natural food industry interest is so strong that the company also plans to grow in Boulder County in the next two years, Myslik said. Fresca now employs about 250 people in all, including 20 at the new warehouse.

Fresca produces a line of sauces and pastas for the Progresso brand, which is owned by General Mills (NYSE: GIS); makes baby food for Plum Organics, the trade name for Plum Inc. in San Francisco; and makes candy bars and nut butters, and ice cream for well-known local companies, Myslik said.

Privately held company Fresca has grown more than 45 percent in each of the past nine years. Its headquarters is a 135,000-square-foot building at 195 CTC Blvd. in the Colorado Technology Center business park in Louisville.