When John Richardson, chairman and CEO of SugarCreek, Fairfield, Ohio, purchased an existing 77,000-square-foot manufacturing plant at 1200 Enterprise Road in Cambridge City, Ind., in 2012, he had a distinct vision for its future.

That facility, known as CCI (Cambridge City, Ind.), has grown to 418,000 square feet through years of planning and development.

Highlighting the new facility is what is said to be the largest sous vide line in North America. Sous vide production began in late 2015, with additional lines being opened periodically for the past year.

In addition, CCI boasts three distinct high-volume cooking halls that produce sausage patties, meatballs and other proteins.

“Bacon has been, and will always be, our legacy. But, my motto is that ‘good enough is not good enough,’ and CCI represents an important part of our future,” Richardson says. “We have made a huge investment to expand our capabilities, allowing us the flexibility to co-develop new products and menu items for brands across all channels of trade.”

Investments at CCI go beyond cooking equipment. Machines and employees are connected wirelessly to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), ensuring both efficiency and the safety of products and people. SugarCreek is expected to have roughly 500 employees at the facility.

“2016 marks the 50th anniversary of SugarCreek, and we are thrilled to celebrate in such a big way with the dedication of CCI,” Richardson adds. “We look forward to starting our next 50 years with new product offerings.”

SugarCreek received Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2016 Refrigerated Foods Processor of the Year (January 2016) issue, which included a tour of the CCI facility.