BURGAW, NC. – Cardinal Foods LLC and Russet House, Huntingdon, Que., have entered a joint venture that will increase the supply of sweet potato fries and other plant-based products. The joint venture will operate as Cardinal Foods and includes a 106,000-square-foot processing plant in Burgaw.

‘We welcome this joint venture with Cardinal Foods to expand our capacity having been in a sold out position the past few years at our plant in Huntingdon,” said Leopold Moyen, president of Russet House. “Combining our strengths will allow us to grow while increasing support to our existing customers. This expansion will support new product innovation, which is a core strength.”

Russett House is a manufacturer of private label sweet potato products. They are the third largest processor of sweet potatoes in North America, according to the company.

Cardinal Foods is a processor of individually quick-frozen blueberries, puree and vegetables that services the private brand market.

“Our processing capabilities allow us a continued focus on quality with additional capacity to provide a superb product while continuing to service growers across the eastern United States,” said Corey Barnhill, president of Cardinal Foods. 

The manufacturing plant will triple the pounds of sweet potato fry processing capacity, according to the companies. It also is equipped to customize for the manufacturing of other plant-based products.