Grupo SOS Plans New Olive Oil Bottling Facility for Texas or California -- or Both

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Since acquiring Bertolli's olive oil and vinegar business segments from Unilever (LSE:ULVR) (London) this summer, Grupo SOS (Madrid, Spain) has cemented itself as the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of olive oil. Now, with a proposed olive oil bottling plant scheduled for Freeport, Texas, the company is planning to dominate the global market for years to come.

But, Texas might not be the only location being considered for the new bottling facility. According to personnel involved with the project, Grupo SOS officials in Madrid are discussing California as an alternative site, even though land has already been purchased in Freeport next to a Grupo SOS-owned rice mill.

"The buildings and where to build are something we're still juggling," a Grupo SOS employee said. "The decision hasn't been made in Spain yet -- whether or not Texas or California or both. With the acquisition of Bertolli, we will become, hands down, the biggest [manufacturer/distributor of olive oil] in the world."

All that's left now is the decision on where and when to build. Grupo SOS personnel said that if Texas is chosen, the $20 million, 115,000-square-foot project would move from the planning stage to construction "sometime next year, probably about this time."

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