Inventure Foods Invests More Than $6 Million To Add Kettle-Cooked Potato Chip Manufacturing To Its Bluffton, Ind. Facility

PHOENIX, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialty foods marketer and manufacturer, Inventure Foods, Inc., announces today an expansion of its existing kettle-cooked potato chip manufacturing capacities to add four new 300-pound commercial kettles and appropriate potato processing equipment to its Bluffton, Ind. manufacturing facility. The move provides a 50 percent increase to current kettle-cooked capacity, resulting in an additional 100,000 pounds of finished product per week. 

The new kettle lines, which go live this month, allow Inventure to keep pace with growing consumer interest in its better-for-you line of Boulder Canyon Authentic Foods' potato chips. 

"We are fortunate to have a strong legion of Boulder fans who value our quality-first approach and who appreciate the importance of real food ingredients," said Terry McDaniel, Chief Executive Officer of Inventure Foods. "The challenge for us has been keeping up with consumer demand, yet we've never been willing to sacrifice manufacturing excellence in pursuit of a quick-fix solution to short term capacity challenges. Instead, we've invested fully into our Bluffton plant to add kettle cooking capabilities that follow in form and function to what we have always used. In doing so, we've met current needs while allowing for future growth, and we've done it all in a manner that remains true to the Boulder brand."  

Boulder Canyon Authentic Foods is one of the fastest-growing minimally-processed potato chip brands in the U.S.1 The brand is highly regarded among healthy eaters for its less-is-more approach to food manufacturing, including the use of premium oils such as olive, avocado, and coconut as well as organic potatoes that are kettle-cooked in small batches. Additionally, Boulder refuses to use artificial flavors, colors or preservatives in its recipes, instead choosing only clean food ingredients. The majority of Boulder Canyon products are Gluten Free, Non-GMO and Kosher certified. 

Inventure manufactures Boulder- branded snacks primarily from two facilities—Goodyear, Ariz. and Bluffton, Ind. The Goodyearplant has historically been the hub for kettle-cooked potato chips while Bluffton has manufactured extruded and other snacks. 

"The investment in Bluffton builds upon the expanded production capabilities we added to Goodyear earlier this year," added McDaniel. "We've built for increased volume, but we also benefit geographically as we are in a better position to serve customers across the country." 

In addition to the aforementioned salty snack facilities, Inventure owns and operates fruit processing facilities in Lynden, Wash.,Bellingham, Wash. and Salem, Ore.; as well as two plants in Georgia that process and package IQF vegetables, breads and other items. 

Boulder Canyon is perhaps best known for its award-winning kettle chips, yet it offers non-snack food items as well, including a line of frozen vegetable rice that will debut this fall in the frozen section of the grocery store.   

About Inventure Foods, Inc.   
With manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Indiana, Washington, Oregon and Georgia, Inventure Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNAK) is a marketer and manufacturer of specialty food brands in better-for-you and indulgent categories under a variety of Company owned and licensed brand names, including Boulder Canyon Foods™, Jamba®, Seattle's Best Coffee®, Rader Farms®, TGI Fridays™, Nathan's Famous®, Vidalia Brands®, Poore Brothers®, Tato Skins®, Willamette Valley Fruit Company™, Fresh Frozen™ and Bob's Texas Style® and Sin In A Tin®. For more information about Inventure Foods, please visit www.inventurefoods.com. 

1. IRI Data, Aug. 2016