Rocky Ford – Bill and Diane McKnight are busy putting together the final touches for their latest business venture.
After months of preparation, the Pueblo couple – which founded Pueblo Foods – are beginning to see their work pay off.
Machinery is being tested, ovens are being placed in a 3,000-square-foot kitchen, and employees are working to open Colorado Blue Ribbon Foods next month.
The company will produce large numbers of ready-to-eat wraps and burritos in the Lower Arkansas Valley.
“Hopefully, our first burrito will be produced here in the middle of July,” Bill Mc Knight said.
In a year that saw major plant closings in Lamar and La Junta, the McKnights will open a Rocky Ford plant next month that will employ up to 200 people within two years.
Last year, Neoplan USA closed its bus-manufacturing plant in Lamar, idling more than 300 workers. La Junta’s Bay Valley Foods, formerly Dean Pickle, ousted about 120 workers when its plant shut down in February.
With Pueblo Foods operating at near capacity, the Mc Knights decided to create Colorado Blue Ribbon Foods and chose Rocky Ford as the site for their new business.
