Lots and lots of nuts. Tons of nuts, more on the way.
Almonds, pecans, filberts (hazelnuts), cashews, walnuts – you name it.
All are located on Hamtown Road, which CJ Dannemiller provides to a growing client base.
The family-owned company wholesales nuts, popcorn and concession supplies, and has been doing so since 1935.
It recently completed an expansion that will enable it to bring in more nuts, process, store and sell it in Norton, where it moved in 1975.
“We’re bringing them in by truck,” Chief John Dannemiller said Monday in a phone call.
Dannemiller said the expansion will help the company accommodate the “slow and steady growth” it has seen in the past few years.
The expansion has been completed for 18 months
Dannemiller recently completed the addition of 5,000 square feet of manufacturing and processing space and 16,000 square feet of warehouse space to its existing 30,000 square foot facility. About 6,000 square feet of warehouse space is refrigerated to keep product fresh.
The expansion costs about $2 million and will provide room to grow for several years, Dannemiller said.
What led to Dannemiller’s growth?
Dannemiller said the company decided to undergo strict certification for safe food quality. Certification opened doors to larger clients.
It has also beefed up its online presence, Dannemiller said.
“In the last four or five years we have seen more robust (growth),” he said. “We poured more money into online marketing, started attending more food shows and getting our name out there nationally.”
Employment is also on the rise
Dannemiller currently employs 36 people, including several family members.
“Two years ago we were 22 or 23 (employees),” Dannemiller said.
He describes the current staff as the best he has seen so far.
“I heard a lot of people saying how hard it is to hire,” he said. “We have the best group of employees we have ever had.”
Selling to other companies
“We deal almost exclusively with business,” Dannemiller said. “That’s really our forte – selling more in bulk.”
This includes the nuts they are known for. But it also includes supplies related to popcorn, granola, and dried fruit. The company manufactures five varieties of corn, including sea salt caramel and cookies and cream.
Leave Alan Ashworth a message at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.