Goya Foods, Secaucus, N.J., opened four new state-of-the-art manufacturing, production and distribution facilities in Texas, Georgia, California and New Jersey, as part of a $250 million investment for a global expansion to support consumer demands of Goya's healthy product lines.

Goya Foods is said to be the only Hispanic food company that offers consumers an entire line of low-sodium, organic, diet and sugar-free products. Its cutting-edge, high-tech facilities will maintain its mission to produce authentic, high-quality and affordable products without sacrificing taste.

"With the growing Hispanic population and the need for good nutrition, it's an opportune time for Goya to expand," says Bob Unanue, president. "For more than 78 years, Goya has not only positioned itself as a leader in the Latin American food industry and a trusted American brand, but [also] as an iconic symbol of the Hispanic culture. Our commitment to excellence is the cornerstone of providing our consumers with products that offer 'good taste, good for you and good value,' all key elements that resonate with our popular tagline that our grandfather created, 'If It's Goya, It Has To Be Good.’"

Each of Goya's new facilities will help reach new consumers and strengthen the Goya brand nationwide and internationally, including Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia.

For example, the new 350,000-square-foot Houston facility that sits on a 130-acre farm is scheduled to open on March 27, and will serve as the prime hub for the manufacturing and distribution of Goya's healthy bean lines, producing 1,000 cans of beans per minute and serving consumers west of Mississippi. The positioning of the Texas facility provides key access to skilled workforce, affordability, a favorable business climate, railroad transportation and acts as a launching pad for global export from Houston's port and the Panama Canal. The environmentally sustainable center is also equipped with an advanced water treatment plant that will recycle and purify water used for the soaking and transporting of beans and other products, crop irrigation and replenishment of local streams.

The 250,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles will serve all of the West coast, while the 151,000-square-foot Atlanta facility will serve all of Georgia and the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, Goya's new Northeast headquarters in New Jersey, scheduled to open in fall of 2014 and totaling nearly 900,000 square feet, will be Goya's largest expansion in the company's history. The Jersey City site will feature office space and a warehouse totaling 638,000 square feet on 40 acres of undeveloped land.

The fully renovated 240,000-square-foot facility in Secaucus, N.J., will be armed with a new rice packaging line to produce 600 bags of Goya rice mixes per minute, which is six times faster than its current production.