Backwoods Food to expand with new facility
BY KYLE ARNOLD World Staff Writer
Saturday, December 08, 2012
12/08/12 at 4:32 AM
TAHLEQUAH - Backwoods Food Manufacturing Inc. has always based its business model on helping people with tasty recipes go bigger.
Now the company itself is ready to step up to the next level.
Backwoods Food signed a deal his week to expand its manufacturing capabilities at the Tahlequah Business and Industry Park. The company will break ground soon on a $2.46 million facility that will nearly quadruple the size of its operating space.
Backwoods is being offered the property rent-free for five years from the Tahlequah Industrial Authority. The company then will pay lease fees on the land for another 20 years.
Backwoods specializes in large-scale manufacturing of condiments for small businesses, ranging from mom-and-pop barbecue sauces to a house salad dressing for a restaurant.
Danielle and Michael Coursey started the company in 1998 as a means to make a line of food products that they planned to sell on their own. After buying a kitchen space, they got offers from other companies to make small amounts of product and then kept expanding for the next 13 years.
"We never anticipated getting into the contract packaging industry, but in 2001 we had an offer from a larger company to manufacture all their products," Danielle said. "By January of 2003 we had an 8,400-square-foot facility."
Now Backwoods makes about 400 products for 50 companies, including salsa, pickles and spice blends. The company works with recipe creators to upscale their products and design attractive packaging that's economical for retail sales.
Backwoods employs 11 people but is expected to expand to 20 when the new building is completed, said David Moore, director of the Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce.
Coursey said the new facility should allow Backwoods to expand its production five-fold.
The building is expected to be completed in about a year.
The Tahlequah Business and Industry Park, located just off Oklahoma 51, is also home to a call center and a technical school campus.
Original Print Headline: Backwoods Food set to expand with new facility
Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380
kyle.arnold@tulsaworld.com
