Trisco Foods expands manufacturing offshore

Brisbane-based Trisco Foods has just acquired its first offshore manufacturing facility at Colorado Springs in the United States as part of an international expansion plan.

The family-owned food manufacturer has made its first major move into the international market with the purchase of a manufacturing facility in Colorado on the back of growing demand for its products.

The 140-year-old company is one of Queenland's oldest businesses and it has developed an instant liquid thickening product designed to assist dysphagia patients and other older people who have trouble swallowing liquids.

This is the first time the company will own and operate an offshore facility and the move aims to allow the company to aggressively pursue greater market share for its successful Precise Thick-N range of instant liquid thickeners.

The Precise Thick-N range of instant liquid thickeners make soft food and liquids easier to swallow without impacting the nutritional benefits or taste.

The overseas expansion comes after the company reported it currently ships six containers of Precise to the United States each month from its Carole Park manufacturing plant.

Trisco Foods says Colorado Springs is an exciting and fast-growing region that mirrors the balanced but hard-working lifestyle of Brisbane.

“Colorado Springs is an ideal location for our first international operation,” CEO Mike Tristram said. “With good access to the entire United States, as well as a growing specialty food manufacturing culture, we see great opportunities for the future.”

Initially the plant will produce products from the Precise Thick-N range with up to 75 people to be employed over the next 12 months.

Over the next five years the company plans to develop and manufacture new products, investing heavily in expanding its R&D capabilities in the US to complement its existing team in Brisbane.

After just two years, Trisco's Precise Thick-N has notched up strong market penetration and displaced traditional powder-based thickeners in many aged care facilities and hospitals around the country.