September 1, 2021

Michigan fruit processing facility goes up for sale

A 150,000-square foot fruit processing facility in West Michigan is hitting the market.

Cherry Central Cooperative has decided to shutter and sell its Oceana Foods plant, which is located in Shelby, Michigan. The plant specialized in processing and drying of fruit grown in and around Michigan.

After operating the 150,000-square foot facility for decades, including a large building expansion and capital equipment investment in 2016, production capacity at other facilities and crop conditions led Cherry Central to opt to close the facility at the end of August.

“The earliest Cherry Central may reopen the Oceana plant will be August 2022, and we feel that there is an opportunity to find a buyer who will continue to provide job opportunities in the Shelby, Michigan area,” said Melanie LaPerriere, CEO, Cherry Central, through a press release. “Though we hoped to reopen the facility in the future, we have determined the right move is to sell and allow a new operator to utilize the plant’s many capabilities.”

The plant features a large amount of blending, drying and evaporative capacity along with retail and foodservice packaging lines. Much of the current equipment in place was part of the 2016 expansion and the property has a large amount of wastewater capacity. 

Parties interested in acquiring the plant should contact Eric Weiler at New Mill Capital by email at [email protected].





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