Apio Invests $22.5 Million To Expand Hanover, PA Operations; Adding Up To 200 Jobs

GUADALUPE, CA. — Apio, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Landec Corporation (NASDAQ; LNDC) and a leading national producer of fresh-cut vegetable products for the United States and Canada under the Eat Smart® and GreenLine® brands, is making a $22.5 million investment in its Hanover, Pa., operations to help the company meet demand for its growing portfolio of value-added vegetable products. The expansion will more than triple the size of the facility increasing it to 64,000 square feet and will add up to 200 jobs over the next three years. Production lines will increase from two to 10. Construction of the first phase is anticipated to be completed in December 2015.

“North American shoppers are responding to our on-trend product portfolio, which includes Eat Smart Gourmet Vegetable Superfood Salad Kits like Eat Smart Sweet Kale Salad, Wild Greens and Quinoa Salad, and Beets and Greens Salad,” said Anne Byerly, vice president of marketing, Apio. “The expansion of Hanover will allow us to grow our Eat Smart and GreenLine brands particularly in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest.”

State and County Tax Incentives

The expansion was made possible with the approval of a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) agreement approved by county, township and school board bodies.

“Solidifying Apio’s presence and long-term investment in York County is a win for the region,” said Darrell W. Auterson, president and CEO, York County Economic Alliance. “We welcome Apio’s expansion and the jobs they are bringing here.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development offered a funding proposal including Job Creation Tax Credits, a Pennsylvania First Program grant and a WEDnetPA training grant valued at more than $1.1 million over the next three years.

About the Eat Smart Brand

Apio’s Eat Smart portfolio includes five salad kits and two stir fry kits; each kit contains five to eight superfoods, which are nutrient-rich foods considered part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Superfoods are cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, chard, and kale—all of which appear in one or both of the stir fry and salad kits and are recognized for their nutritional value. The highly nutritious, gourmet Eat Smart products include:

* Sweet Kale Salad Kit

* Wild Greens & Quinoa Salad Kit

* Beets & Greens Salad Kit

* Roasted Yam Salad Kit

* Ginger Bok Choy Salad Kit

* Kale and Red Chard Stir Fry Kit

* Shanghai Blend Stir Fry Kit

The Eat Smart Gourmet Salad and Gourmet Vegetable Blend Stir Fry Kits are available in 9- to 12-ounce retail size or larger 16- to 32-ounce family size with a suggested retail price of approximately $4-$5 per package, depending on location. Eat Smart products are available in more than 100 club and retail chains in the U.S. and Canada. Information about the salads and stir fry kits is available at the new Eat Smart brand website, www.eatsmart.net.

About Apio, Inc.

Apio, Inc., was founded in 1979 by five growers of celery in the Santa Maria Valley on the central coast of California. Today the company is the leader in processing and marketing fresh-cut specialty vegetables in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Guadalupe, California, Apio sells its specialty vegetables and party tray products under its Eat Smart® and GreenLine® brands. Apio’s fresh-cut vegetables are unique in that most of its products utilize the Landec Corporation BreatheWay® proprietary breathable packaging technology to extend the shelf life of produce. Landec Corporation (NASDAQ: LNDC), a leading developer and marketer of innovative and proprietary products for healthy living applications in the food and biomedical markets based in Menlo Park, California, acquired Apio in 1999.

Source: Apio, Inc.