Food drying facility set to open in Lyon County

Clean Dried Processing plans to open a food drying and processing facility in Silver Springs this summer.

Northern Nevada Development Authority, which advised the company on its decision to open in northern Nevada, says the new facility may spur creation of related industries in Lyon County.

Jed Frank, director of sales and procurement for Clean Dried Processing, which is owned by LaBudde Group of Grafton, Wisc., said the facility will produce additives for the pet food industry. Clean Dried Processing plans to enter production by mid-June or early July, Frank says.

Initial food products to be processed at the 150,000-square-foot facility, formerly a truss manufacturing plant that was shuttered during the housing downturn in the late 2000s, are tomato pumice and potato culls.

Tomato pumice is the byproduct of tomato processing — skins and seeds — while potato culls are potatoes that are too small to be used for French fries and potato chips. Clean Dried Processing will dry the ingredients in drum dryers and then grind them through hammer mills to produce a powder that will be sold to pet food manufacturers.

Clean Dried Processing will source ingredients from surrounding states: Tomatoes from processing plants in the Sacramento Valley and potatoes from the Winnemucca area, northern California, southern Oregon and Idaho.

Future products could include processed sweet potatoes and other food items that may be requested by pet food manufacturers such as carrots or apples, Frank says. LaBudde Group has other facilities in the United States that produce regional-specific dried and powdered products targeted for pet food additives, such as cranberries and blueberries from northern Michigan.

Frank says LaBudde Group had long been eyeing a western expansion.

“We have nothing in California or Nevada, but obviously Nevada is a better location from the standpoint of employment — there are a lot of people out of work, and that community looked to be in need of growth.”

Clean Dried Processing plans to employ between 10 and 20 people in its first year of operations depending on processing and delivery volumes. Employees at Clean Dried Processing will enjoy a varied workday, he notes.

“There will be multiple tasking for people driving equipment, working loaders and forklifts, taking in trucks and weighing them in,” Franks says. “Someone will be drying, others will be trained on the computer on how to run the drum dryer. We definitely will not be a boring job. There will be all different activities happening on any day.”

As of last week Clean Dried Processing still was finalizing purchase of the building, which proved attractive because of its large warehouse space and relatively low cost, Frank says.

“It was a good opportunity for us at a fair price. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of room to grow, and that facility has plenty for us.”

Clean Dried Processing is in the process of securing permits for its drying, grinding, and dust collection equipment and upgrading the gas main and electrical line to the building. It has yet to select a contractor to perform tenant improvements on the facility, Frank says. Once those permits are in place, it will start securing contracts for raw materials.

LaBudde Group works with food companies throughout the world, Frank adds, with a focus on domestic companies and those based in the UK and Australia.

“Our ingredients will go anywhere someone wants them and needs a quality pet food,” Franks says.

Rob Hooper, executive director of NNDA, called the company’s decision “a big boost” for economically hard-hit Lyon County.

“Not only will Clean Dried Processing be creating jobs, they will act as a catalyst for other companies to make the decision to move or expand to the area. This expansion has the potential to shape Silver Springs for years to come,” Hooper said.

Mike Hoeck of NAI Alliance helped Clean Dried Processing find a location for its operations. Brad Bonkowski of Coldwell Banker Premier Brokers and Brad Lancaster of Miller Industrial Properties represented the seller.

“We are excited about coming into the area,” Frank says. “LaBudde has been around for 107 years. We have had a lot of success and are hoping this will open more success for us on the entire West Coast.”