Denali Ingredients is expanding its food ingredients manufacturing capabilities with the opening of an additional 98,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in New Berlin, Wisconsin.

According to Denali officials, the new facility marks another major investment the company is making in the industries it serves. It will house a state-of-the-art commercial oven that will produce a new line of baked inclusions, including brownie and cheesecake pieces popular in ice cream and other sweet treats. This expansion will also double the production space and improve production flow of the company's current extruded doughs, bits, flakes and bark products.

"Adding a new capability, baked inclusions, expands our portfolio of products for our customers," said Neal Glaeser, president of Denali Ingredients. "This is part of fulfilling our long-term vision, which is to become the go-to ingredients supplier. This expansion of our portfolio, along with our emphasis on hands-on customer collaboration, provides our R&D team a broader platform to effectively address trends in today's complex food environment."

During the design phase, due consideration was given to key operational improvements. Frozen storage capacity is tripling, which will accommodate expanding product offerings. The design also includes a focus on food quality and safety, with modern sanitation equipment and processes, isolated production spaces and a quality control lab outfitted with updated testing equipment. Environmental impact improvements include the use of LED lights, high-efficiency boilers, water heaters and air handling systems as well as a robust recycling program.

Denali Ingredients opened an R&D Innovation Center three years ago to provide increased space for research and development and a small-scale pilot plant for product testing.

"Our growth has been fueled by investments in people and facilities," said Glaeser. Since Denali Ingredients purchased the business in 2006, the company reports the revenue has tripled, allowing the company to triple its workforce as well.