Florida's Natural To Invest Millions In Umatilla Operations

    “We have made a ‘pivot’ to reinvest in the Umatilla facility with a $30 million expansion.”
   Florida’s Natural CEO Bob Behr last week announced that Florida’s Natural has moved beyond simply confirming it will maintain its Umatilla Packaging operations. Behr, speaking at the annual meeting of the Umatilla Citrus Growers Association last Monday, said the project, which will include the installation of a new packing line in 2023.
   The announcement comes after a year of questions surrounding the large plant that a generation ago served as the home of Golden Gem Growers. Florida’s Natural, which has used the plant as a packaging location for over 20 years, in March confirmed it was exploring a sale of sell the site. However, in the months following that announcement, the Lake Wales-based member-owned cooperative stated it would be staying on, but the exact details of future operations had not been formally announced.
   “The investment that we are making in Umatilla is significant and will help us with strategic future growth for our packaged items and our flagship brand, Florida’s Natural,” said Nikki Hayde of Florida’s Natural this week.
   During his presentation at the UCGA meeting, Behr said that current plant manager Jason Jones would lead the implementation of the project.
   Hayde declined to comment regarding rumors that the plant could be used to package products for other companies in the future, and also declined to comment on the potential for future employment expansion at the location.
   "Our first priority is the Florida's Natural brand and its strategic health," she said. "Regarding jobs, this is a longer-term project so we are working on the analysis of the impact."
   Historically, Florida’s Natural employs an estimated 100 people at the Umatilla plant.
   - Dalton Yancey contributed to this report.