Artisan Specialty Foods, a Bonita Springs, Fla.-based specialty food distributor, re-packer, importer and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Innovative Food Holdings, opened the doors to a new 28,000-square-foot distribution facility in Broadview, Ill.

The Broadview facility was purchased in July and built out to meet Artisan's custom specifications. Its central location and large size enables Artisan to better serve its customers in Metro Chicago and the surrounding areas. The greater capacity also allows the distributor to introduce a wider range of products, including re-packed and private label, and allows for growth in stocked inventory for all products, including products sold nationwide.

"The new customized build out, integration and warehouse transition to this new facility went seamlessly due to the hard work of our talented and dedicated team at Artisan Specialty Foods," says Justin Wiernasz, president of Innovative Food Holdings. "We continue to see strength in the Artisan business, and expect this distribution facility to help drive growth with our current local chefs and customers, and to also help facilitate further national sales growth across Innovative Foods' subsidiaries."

"This facility also provides the opportunity to service the growing number of chefs in the greater Chicago area that are seeking artisanal specialty and local farm-to-table products,” adds Wiernasz. “Furthermore, I expect that this expansion of Artisan Specialty's capabilities and offerings will open the door for the growth of Artisan's unique business model into additional specialty food verticals and markets."