Mashed potatoes and metal fabrication don’t appear to have much in common. Yet it turns out that Kettle Creations and Coastline Equipment Inc. speak the same language of custom development and customer service.
It was in 2008 when Ohio’s Klausing family decided to start a business and tap decades of experience in refrigerated side dishes. Realizing a market need, four siblings formed Kettle Creations in Lima, Ohio, as a custom contract supplier of mashed potatoes and other refrigerated sides.
Next, they just needed a factory and process equipment to make this business dream a reality. That’s when an architecture and engineering consultant referred the Klausings to Coastline, a Bellingham, Wash., firm specializing in original equipment manufacturing. Interestingly enough, Kettle Creations’ new facility would have one important stipulation from Lima city officials: there was to be no ammonia-based refrigeration system.So how would Kettle Creations cool its products?
“Coastline was recommended by consultant familiar with their work and products,” says Kettle Creations President Don Klausing. “In particular, we were interested in their spiral technologies to cool our product from 160