Quality Ingredients Corp., Burnsville, Minn., says construction is underway to expand its spray-dry system capabilities for food ingredients. Key to the expansion is the addition of Bob Freemore, general programs director to the company’s management team. With 35 years of experience in the food and nutritional industries, Freemore will guide both the capital expansion as well as strategic growth in new markets.

“I can’t say enough about our enthusiasm for this expansion,” says Isabelle Day, CEO of Quality Ingredients Corp. “Consumers increasingly demand convenient, delicious, healthy food, and our customers are focused on meeting those demands with unique new flavors and nutritional ingredients. This expansion puts us in exactly the right position to meet our customers’ needs. It represents an exciting new phase for our company.”

Work began in late 2011 to manage the logistics and scheduling required to expand the complex and to customize the two new tower dryers to meet the company’s exacting specifications. Earlier this year, interior work began to accommodate the added equipment in a manner that protects the integrity of current operations.

The expansion will double the company’s spray-dry capacity, offer customers new and unique capabilities for specialized ingredient processing and add 20 skilled manufacturing jobs to the area. Four positions have been filled, including the hiring of two veterans. Day notes that the new dryers will also be ideal to manufacture the company’s growing line of specialty cheese powders. She expects the additional dryers and related capabilities to be online by the fourth quarter of 2012.