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Sabra Dipping Co. Files Plans to Expand Chesterfield County Plant; Names New CEO

June 11, 2018 / Current News

By The Richmond Times-Dispatch

Sabra Dipping Co. has filed plans to expand its Chesterfield County food factory, which makes the Mediterranean dish hummus.

The company, based in White Plains, N.Y., also announced Monday it has named a new chief executive officer.

Sabra wants to expand its 220,560-square-foot factory in the Ruffin Mill Industrial Park by adding nearly 38,000 square feet, according to plans filed with the Chesterfield County Planning Department. The proposed expansion would include eight loading dock doors.

A spokeswoman for Sabra said Monday that the company has no additional details to share about the planned expansion at this time. County planning officials are reviewing the proposal, and it could be approved within 45 days.

Sabra is a joint venture of PepsiCo and the Israel-based food company Strauss Group. The company opened the Chesterfield factory in 2010, investing nearly $60 million, and it expanded the plant in 2014, doubling the size to accommodate more hummus production. It employs more than 700.

Hummus is made from chickpeas and tahini and is frequently used as a spread for breads or as a vegetable dip.

Sabra, which has been promoting the brand to U.S. consumers as a healthy snack food, says it has a 60 percent market share in the U.S. in the hummus category, which is a little more than one-third of the $2.15 billion fresh dips and spreads category.

The company announced Monday that Tomer Harpaz has been named its new CEO to “lead the company into the next phase of growth.”

Harpaz replaces former CEO Shali Shalit-Shoval, who recently returned home to her family in Israel after five years with Sabra, the company said.

Harpaz will oversee both Sabra and Obela, another joint venture between PepsiCo and the Strauss Group, which sells fresh dips and spreads outside North America. Harpaz most recently worked for four years as CEO of Strauss Coffee, one of the largest coffee companies in the world.

Prior to joining Strauss Coffee in 2010, Harpaz served as a member of Strauss Group’s management team and as executive vice president of strategy, business development and technology.

“I have admired Sabra’s trajectory and am eager to work with this talented team to grow a category with massive potential,” Harpaz said in a statement from the company.