Australian Olive Oil Company Picks Woodland For Site Of Processing Foothold In United States
WOODLAND (CBS13) — An Australian olive oil company announced on Thursday that it will open a major processing plant in Woodland.
The announcement comes after Radio Shack and Genco announced they would close up shop in Woodland.
Boundary Bend is the largest name in olive oil Down Under, and the company is known for its award-winning product that will make its U.S. debut.
U.S. company president Adam Englehardt gave CBS13 a look at construction of a building that will process a whopping 50 to 60 tons of high-quality olives an hour.
"At that capacity, that would make it the second-largest mill in the United States," he said.
The $20 million project will house not only the mill, but a bottling operation and olive oil laboratory, bringing in 22 full-time and many seasonal jobs to the area.
"This site is located in close proximity to some of the best olive orchards in California and Woodland is also very well located in terms of distribution for our finished products," he said.
He says in 15 years in the olive business, he's found some of the best orchards in Yolo County.
Ken Hiatt with the City of Woodland admits the project couldn't have come at a better time. With the closure of both the Radio Shack and Genco distribution centers, he says Woodland is moving toward agricultural employers.
"We're seeing a very strong influx and input with food processing and new tech companies that are very engaged," he said.
The company expects to be up and processing olives as soon as October.