Lima company buys Van Wert honey facility

VAN WERT — A Lima company has purchased a Van Wert honey packaging plant in an effort to expand its packaging services.

Continuing its move from transportation to diversified logistics company, Wannemacher Total Logistics has purchased the liquid-filling facilities of Golden Heritage Foods.

The purchase of the Van Wert plant's ultramodern equipment and capacity allows Wannemacher to add liquid filling to its lineup of contract packaging services.

“The facility fits into our plans perfectly, giving us not only another attractive service we can offer customers, but at the same time, a presence nationally,” Greg Wannemacher said.

The deal gives Wannemacher a “hot-fill” facility to package liquids like honey and syrup that need to be warmed to flow easily. Golden Heritage gets continued use of the facility through a long-term contract.

With 30 employees working a single shift on two production lines, there's room to grow by bringing in other contract work.

“The plant has the capacity to maybe go three times as large in terms of production,” Wannemacher said.

There's a demand for the service as well.

“There's very few hot-fill facilities in the country,” said Scott Cockerell, Wannemacher's business development executive.

Greg Wannemacher said items like maple syrup, salsa, and salad dressings are among the potential uses.

“There's a lot of things that need a hot-fill operation,” he said.

Though known to most people as a trucking company, Wannemacher Total Logistics has been cutting back that line of work as it focuses on packaging and distribution.

“The transportation sector has really become almost third in terms of revenue,” Wannemacher said. “The distribution and packaging services have been far outpacing.

Wannemacher Total Logistics was founded in 1991 and includes freight logistics, distribution services, warehousing, transportation, and contract packaging.