Expansion under way at Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORT August 10, 2011 9:58PM
Beth Nielsen (left), Craig Nielsen, Matt Nielsen and Camilla Nielsen break ground for a 28,000-square-foot addition at Nielsen-Massey Vanillas in Waukegan. | Thomas Delany Jr.~ Sun-Times Media
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Updated: September 12, 2011 1:03AM
After more than 100 years in business, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas will soon be bigger than ever.
The family-owned company broke ground Wednesday to expand its Waukegan headquarters facility at 550 Shields Drive in Amhurst Lake Business Park.
“We have been at our Waukegan location for 19 years and we continue to outgrow the space,” said Matt Nielsen, chief operations officer. “Once construction is completed, we will have a 1,100-square-foot test and demonstration kitchen, an extra 24,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space and an additional 4,800 square feet of office space.”
Beth Nielsen, the firm’s chief culinary officer, said the addition of a test kitchen will allow Nielsen-Massey to develop recipes and products directly in the plant.
“We are looking forward to the opportunity to host our product and recipe development in our own kitchen,” she said. “The space will also be used for demos and events when needed.”
The renovations are set to be completed by December 2011 and are just one of the recent updates made to the company.
Earlier this summer, Nielsen-Massey debuted new labels and logos — the first revision since 2003. The goal of the transformation was to modernize the brand image and give meaning to the seal, which continues to be a central design element for the brand, company officials said.
Nielsen-Massey has been in operation since 1907 and this is the fourth expansion or plant move.
The company began in Sterling, Ill., and been in Chicago and Lake Forest, and finally to the current Waukegan location. The company also has production facilities in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
The full line of Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla products include vanilla beans and extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar; and Certified Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Beans.
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