US-based Inventure Foods has unveiled plans to purchase two individually quick frozen (IQF) freezing tunnels for $3.9m in 2014.
The company said that it will continue to look for opportunities to cater to the increasing demand for its frozen fruit products, while also improving margins in the frozen fruit segment by increasing internal freezing capabilities
Inventure Foods CEO Terry McDaniel commented, "When this equipment is coupled with the freezing assets we acquired this year at Willamette Valley Fruit Company and Fresh Frozen Foods, we will have made significant progress toward meeting our frozen fruit processing requirements internally."
The new tunnels are expected to be installed in the second quarter 2014 at the company's berry processing facilities in Lynden, Washington and Salem, Oregon. The project is part of the company's operational strategy.
The investment comes after Inventure Foods' acquisition of Georgia-based branded frozen vegetable processor Fresh Frozen Foods in a $38.4m deal in November.