SANDPOINT, Idaho — Recognizing Litehouse’s products on store shelves across the country appears to be getting easier and easier.
This fall, the Sandpoint-based company made famous for its salad dressings and dips cut the ribbon on a 175,000 square foot expansion of its production facility in Utah. The growth follows similar production expansions at Litehouse’s Sandpoint and Michigan locations, too.
"It's pretty amazing, really,” said interim Litehouse president Kelly Prior. "As we continue to see a demand for our products, we need to have the facilities and the equipment available to be able to meet that demand."
Recent construction tripled the size of Litehouse’s facility in Hurricane, Utah and allows for more production. The plant currently employs around 200 people and more are expected to be hired over the next year, Prior said.
Before the Utah growth, Litehouse had also completed an addition to its Sandpoint production facility which added 26,000 square feet of space. The growth trend follows one that has been somewhat evident for the last few years. In 2014, the company purchased the former headquarters Coldwater Creek in nearby Kootenai and moved its offices there. The move was intended, in part, to allow for more production space.
A recent production expansion occurred at Litehouse’s Lowell, Michigan as well.
"It's pretty spectacular to think about the success that it's provided for all the employee owners that have worked hard to drive this company forward,” Prior said.
In recent years, Litehouse’s refrigerated salad dressings have been picked up by both grocery chains across the US and Canada. Notably, Litehouse can now be found in some large grocery stores in Florida, Prior said.
Litehouse, which started in a restaurant in Hope, Idaho decades ago, has since expanded its offerings to include cheeses, herbs, and cider among other products. Prior noted that consumer tastes have also prompted the company to start making meal kits and salad kits.
Prior, who’s been with Litehouse for 16 years, says he’s seen the company grow by 400 percent. But despite that change, Prior says an old standby remains one of his favorite Litehouse products.
"Well, it changes,” said a smiling Prior when asked what his go-to is. “But you always have a staple: the chunky blue cheese dressing."