Turkhan Foods expanding in Stockton

By Reed Fujii

Posted Feb. 4, 2015 @ 7:16 pm

STOCKTON — Turkhan Foods Inc., a fast-growing nut processing and distribution company, has purchased a 126,000-square-foot industrial building in south Stockton where it will house 200 to 250 corporate, sales and almond processing workers.

The company opened an almond and walnut processing facility in Ripon in 2010, then in 2013 purchased Linden Nut Co. in Linden where it centralized and walnut processing and distribution, dedicating the Ripon facility to almonds.

Now, just two years later, in order to accommodate continuing growth, it has acquired the former Dana Corp. plant at 1550 Industrial Drive, where it will house its almond processing and distribution operations later this year.

Walnut operations will remain in Linden, while Ripon will provide added storage for nuts and be dedicated to additional products, such as nut oils, the company said.

Ulash Turkhan, president of his namesake company, said he was pleased to be in Stockton and praised city officials for helping make the latest move possible.

Micah Runner, the city’s economic development director, said that was his agency’s intent.

“We’re doing our best to be responsive to new opportunities and want to help these new kinds of (business) relocations or expansions in Stockton to go smoothly,” he said.

Referring to an announcement last month that Illinois-based KeHE Distributors will employee 200 people at a specialty foods warehouse in Stockton, Runner said commercial property trends are turning positive.

“We’re starting to see some real momentum in filling up some of the vacant space with good quality jobs and good quality companies,” he said.

Turkhan said there are currently about 20 people rehabilitating the former automotive parts plant to bring it up to current food-safety standards.

“Our corporate folks will be moving in in April and our (nut processing) operations in July,” he said Tuesday.

While declining to disclose his investment in the new building, Turkhan said it will house a great deal of new equipment to handle this fall’s almond crop.

He will employ 200 to 250 year-round workers there and up to 350 during the nut harvest and processing season.

But further changes are on the way.

“Part of the reason we are getting into Stockton is we will be launching our retail line here in 2016,” Turkhan said.

Products will include almonds, walnuts, cashews and pistachios in retail packaging and forms suitable for snacking and home baking.

Turkhan Foods currently processes and distributes nuts, shelled and unshelled, in bulk packages domestically and to more than 35 countries. It also exports nut oils to seven countries.

http://www.recordnet.com/article/20150204/NEWS/150209865