WATSONVILLE — The S. Martinelli & Company production facility at 227 East Beach St. has been a centerpiece of Watsonville’s culture since it was established there more than 132 years ago.
That will end in two years, when the company moves the facility to its larger facility at 345 Harvest Drive, company President John Martinelli said Friday.
Martinelli stressed that business is still booming at the company, and that the decision was in fact spurred by the worldwide appeal of the company’s products.
Martinelli said the move from the nearly 132-year-old location is part of a two-year plan to renovate the company’s operation facilities that includes new equipment and a high-speed bottling line.
“It’s not that we don’t love our old plant, but it can’t keep up with our demands,” he said.
In addition, the industrial plant is incongruous in the otherwise residential neighborhood, Martinelli said.
“It’s sad, but we have to do what’s best for the employees and our business,” Martinelli said.
The plant has been at the location since the company moved there in 1885 from its previous location on what is now the Elks Lodge on Martinelli Street.
Martinelli said the company will likely sell the property, but there is no immediate plan for what will happen to it after that.
Martinelli said, however, that the historic building will remain, and possibilities there include a store and deli.
The S. Martinelli Co. purchased the former Birdseye plant at 345 Harvest Drive in 2011, and began using the 206,000-square-foot space for storing its juice and apples.
The move allowed the company to consolidate its products in one place and save money on more than 20,000 square feet of rented storage space.
