Pineland Farms Potato Co., Inc. dba Naturally Potatoes broke ground on a $7.5 million expansion to its Mars Hill, Maine, headquarters and potato processing plant. This expansion is in addition to a $1 million packaging line upgrade that is nearly complete.

The expansion includes 12,000 square feet of dry storage, a new water blancher, new mashed potato kettles, additional potato packaging equipment, new employee cafeteria and additional space for a cheese packaging line. In the process, an employee parking area will be constructed as well as systems to control rainwater runoff. The expansion also doubles the refrigerated warehousing area and more than doubles the product cooling capacity.

The success of Naturally Potatoes is in part to “area farmers who grow the best Russets and Red Norland potatoes in America and an overall business climate in Maine that is conducive to expansion in our market segment,” says William Haggett, chief executive officer.

Within the next 18 months, Naturally Potatoes expects to add up to 15 more jobs.