J.O. Spice Co., the fourth-generation Maryland food manufacturer behind a well-known lineup of seafood seasonings, has expanded its facility at Sulphur Spring Business Park in Baltimore County. The company has added space and automated equipment, with the move aimed at increasing production capacity, according to the article's dek.
The Halethorpe facility now covers more than 31,000 square feet, according to the Baltimore Sun. It is a milestone that traces back decades, since the company first signed with Merritt Properties in the early 1990s, when it occupied a space of less than 10,000 square feet, according to Patch. This latest build-out marks the fourth expansion at the site, per the same report.
Patch's account ties the growth to a surge in demand for the company's products, which include spices, batters, seafood seasonings, soups, and other items distributed from the Halethorpe site. The company's footprint there has essentially tripled in size since its original lease roughly three decades ago, reflecting a steady climb from a modest industrial-park start to one of the larger operations at the business park.
A Company Rooted in Maryland's Seafood Tradition
Accounts differ on exactly how J.O. Spice Co. got its start. According to the company's own history, the business was established in 1945 by J.O. (James Ozzle) Strigle and his wife Dot, who opened a small storefront in Baltimore City. A separate account from Discover Baltimore County describes the company as established in 1945 by James Ozzie Strigle on Tangier Island, Virginia. The discrepancy in founding details has not been resolved between the two sources.
Whatever its precise origin, the brand has built a reputation in the region as a staple for crab and seafood seasoning, and this week's expansion continues a pattern of scaling up to meet demand that the company has wrestled with for years. Back in 2006, then-president Don Ports told Powder & Bulk Solids that the business had been growing by about 25% a year for the previous five years and was having trouble keeping up with the demand.
Past Upgrades Point to a Pattern of Growth
That 2006 growth spurt led the company to install new mixing and packaging equipment and reorganize its production operations, a move the trade publication reported increased its production capacity fourfold at the time. Among the additions then was a 150-cubic-foot paddle mixer capable of processing batches of 7,000 to 12,000 pounds, depending on the density of the product, according to the same account.
The latest expansion arrives as the broader industry shows signs of continued momentum. The Maryland Department of Labor projects the state's food manufacturing industry to see significant growth over the next seven years, per Patch's reporting, a backdrop that helps explain why a longtime Baltimore County manufacturer would once again be adding room to grow.
