Retail Business Services (RBS), the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, will open a fresh processing facility and culinary innovation center in Rhode Island through its subsidiary Infinity Fresh Kitchen. The facility will process fresh food items for area grocery stores, including cut fruit and cut vegetables, leaf, grain and pasta salads, sandwiches, wraps, and other items commonly found in deli or grab and go sections of supermarkets. The facility was purchased from Taylor Farms, who will continue to manage the facility’s operations and workforce. Once operational, the facility is expected to initially add about 250 jobs to the Rhode Island economy and additional jobs over time.
“As the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the largest grocery retail group on the East Coast, Retail Business Services is charged with finding innovative solutions that enable the local grocery brands we support to focus on serving their customers,” said Roger Wheeler, president of RBS. “Infinity Fresh Kitchen is the latest example of this innovation, which will help our retail partners bring the latest fresh, convenient items to their customers.”
In addition to significant capacity for processing fresh food items, the facility will include a Culinary Innovation Center, which will continually test new, fresh, private brand food concepts.
“We want to create food items that perfect the expected and delight consumers with the unexpected,” said Jacqueline Ross, vice president of private brands innovation for RBS. “We’re excited to allocate a portion of the space in this facility to private brand product innovation, particularly fresh, nutritious items and preparations.”
“We’re pleased to work with Retail Business Services on this innovative facility,” said Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms. “We look forward to completing the outfitting of the facility, and getting operations underway in the coming months.”
Construction is underway to outfit the building for Infinity Fresh Kitchen with initial operations at the facility expected to begin in September.
