Cimcorp, a manufacturer and integrator of turnkey robotic order fulfillment and tire handling solutions, announces the opening of a sales and service center in Willich, Germany, to support new and existing customers as well as Cimcorp’s long-term growth strategy. The new office is a direct result of Cimcorp’s expanding presence in food industry distribution operations. A significant number of European grocery retailers are turning to the company’s automation solutions to address their challenges.

New England Cold Storage (NECS) has secured debt financing with Rockland Trust Company for its first cold storage warehouse facility. The $22.9 million loan will go towards their new 120,252-square-foot public refrigerated warehouse that will provide cold storage and logistics services to food producers, processors, wholesalers, and importers. 

Dedeaux Properties and joint venture partner Brasa Capital Management have sold a fully-leased 73,992-square-foot Class A industrial distribution building in the Inland Empire city of Redlands, California, to LBA Realty, completing the disposition of a brand new two-building complex. The building includes 20,000 square feet of cold storage space with two coolers at 55 and 34 degrees, and is currently leased to In-N-Out Burger.

Milk Cult, a Washington D.C.-based ice cream company, is launching four hand-crafted, made from scratch ice cream novelties at Whole Foods. Over the last decade, Milk Cult has created more than 100 ice cream flavors with locally sourced dairy from Maryland and Pennsylvania, with four of its best creations including two vegan options for national wholesale.

Wildgood, a plant-based ice cream and the first non-dairy frozen dessert made with extra virgin olive oil, can now be delivered directly to consumers' doors. The brand is offering nationwide shipping (with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii) for orders placed on the Wildgood website. This expansion comes on the heels of a successful grocery store roll-out in select stores across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region earlier this spring.

Monogram Foods has started construction on a new 135,000-square-foot production facility in Creek Brook Park, Haverhill, Massachusetts. Monogram has plant and warehousing facilities in Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin. This is Monogram’s 3rd Massachusetts location, and will feature 109,000 square feet of multi-temperature warehouse space, plus a 26,000-square-foot sandwich assembly area. The facility is expected to be completed by mid-2022.

Graeter’s Ice Cream, America’s oldest family-owned craft ice cream maker, announces two new flavors to the Perfect Indulgence line of decadent lactose free, animal-free dairy frozen desserts. Madagascar Vanilla Bean and Graeter’s coveted Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip join the animal-free lineup. The new flavors will be available in most Cincinnati and Dayton-area Kroger stores, as well as in all Graeter’s scoop shops, the Graeter’s app and on Graeters.com beginning the first week of May.

On our latest Cold Corner Podcast, Lauren Edmonds, newly elected president of the Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA) joins Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa to discuss the RFA’s plans for the coming year, plus how the pandemic is still affecting the refrigerated foods industry through price hikes and shortages on ingredients, a shrinking labor pool, and more. They also discuss Edmonds’ company, St. Clair Foods, and their move to an automated production facility.

Vortex Cold Storage, providing temperature-controlled warehousing and supply chain solutions to the Midwest food and beverage industry, broke ground on its 173,400-square-foot cold storage facility in Albert Lea, Minnesota.

Overnight oats brand brekki has expanded its distribution into 430 Kroger stores, BJ’s Wholesale Clubs nationally, and 236 Stop & Shop locations. In total, brekki’s distribution expansion will propel the brand to over 3,500 stores by the end of April 2021.