S&W Wholesale Foods Invests $12M in Louisiana Distribution Center
S&W Wholesale Foods is investing $12 million to develop a new multitemperature wholesale food distribution center near Hammond, La. Upon completion, the company will relocate its current operations to the new 100,000-square-foot facility, which will feature 30,000 square feet of office space that includes a state-of-the-art culinary test kitchen and a training facility with stadium-style seating.
S&W is a family-owned and -operated Louisiana distributor of meats, seafood, produce, dairy, canned goods, cleaning supplies, paper products, plasticware and more.
The foodservice supplier has expanded operations near Hammond 13 times since 1978, and the current site can't accommodate its new facility plans. With the new, larger facility, the company will retain 76 employees and create 30 direct new jobs.
“We are very excited to grow our distribution headquarters here in Tangipahoa Parish,” said S&W President and Owner Paul Spalitta. “Hammond is my hometown and where our company was first started over 40 years ago. We have always felt that the Hammond area is the ideal location for distribution, being at the crossroads of I-12 and I-55.”
To secure the project in Tangipahoa Parish and to facilitate the expansion, the state of Louisiana is providing the company with a competitive incentive package that includes the comprehensive services of Louisiana Economic Development (LED) FastStart, ranked the No. 1 workforce development program in the United States for the past 12 years. Additionally, S&W will receive a sponsored $430,000 award from the state’s Economic Development Award program. The company is expected to make use of the state’s Enterprise Zone program.
“The continued growth of S&W Wholesale Foods is a testament to the quality of the culinary offerings that are made in southeast Louisiana,” said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. “Food manufacturing is a rapidly expanding industry in our region, and we welcome new facilities that ensure continued success for our local companies. This expansion will help bring their catalog of products into the hands of more customers than ever, and the new jobs will provide valuable career opportunities to Tangipahoa Parish residents.”
S&W was founded in 1978 by Frank and Rosemary Spalitta as S&W Meats. Its product lines originally consisted of meats such as ham, sausage and ground beef, and its service area included Tangipahoa Parish. In 2006, Frank and Rosemary's son Paul took over the company, and he continues to grow the business. Today, S&W carries more than 6,000 products, including a vast selection of food and nonfood items, among them fresh produce, meats, breads, specialty cheeses, canned goods, condiments, equipment, smallwares, paper goods and cleaning supplies.
