In August 2015, Velvet Ice Cream wanted to expand throughout Kentucky and other markets. Fast forward to today, and it has plans to move into the Carolinas.
That’s because the Utica, Ohio-based ice cream processor opened a $3 million warehouse, equipped with a 23,000-square-foot freezer that doubles the company’s freezing and picking capability while dramatically improving efficiencies, says Luconda Dager, president.
The freezer, said be to the company’s largest capital project in its 102-year history, can hold 3,200,000 cartons of Velvet Ice Cream at -20°F.
“Velvet Ice Cream is growing and expanding, and this new freezer will help us keep up with the increasing demand we see for our products, which took the company from $25 million in revenue in 2009 to more than $30 million in 2014,” says Dager. “It helps us better serve our customers. If one of our accounts needs to add product, we can produce it even more efficiently than ever before. Our new freezer requires the addition of eight new employees, and as new accounts are acquired, could increase future employment.”
Velvet Ice Cream produces close to 5 million gallons of ice cream a year for wholesale, retail and foodservice customers across Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, as well as 3-gallon tubs of frozen novelties for foodservice and private label.
Robertson Construction, and Freije-RSC Engineered Solutions Co. helped design and build the project using the latest green technology, helping Velvet Ice Cream maximize its environmental footprint. Features include motion-controlled energy efficient lighting, state-of-the-art insulating panels and high-speed automated doors.
“We completed this project as a way to meet current demand levels, but also to anticipate future growth,” says Dager. “The expansion makes it possible for Velvet Ice Cream to not only continue serving existing customers, but also enter new markets and forge new partnerships.”
