Capital Access Group Helps the Olive Oil Factory, LLC, Purchase New, 92,568 Square Foot Building
$10.6 Million SBA 504 loan leads to expansion of food offerings at family-owned manufacturer in Fairfield, CA
San Francisco, CA, January 17, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Capital Access Group, a commercial real estate lender specializing in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loans for growing businesses, announced today that it helped Mike and Francine Brossier, owners of The Olive Oil Factory, LLC, (a.k.a. Sonoma Harvest Foods) to secure $10.9 million in total project financing to purchase and make improvements to a 92,568 square-foot building to consolidate operations and create a new infrastructure for a hot-fill production and packing area to expand the business. The new building, which also includes a retail tasting room, is located at 770 Chadbourne Road, Fairfield, CA, 94534, in the heart of Fairfield’s food tourism district, which is anchored by the Jelly Belly factory and Anheuser-Busch brewery.
The Olive Oil Factory is a multi-tiered food production business founded by Mike & Francine Brossier, which began as an import, and distribution company for restaurants, and industrial users. The company now uses a state-of-the-art production facility and can formulate any special blend of extra virgin olive oils and vinegars to match specific needs, and serves leading specialty store chains and restaurants throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
"Owning the building was the best thing we could have done, and the SBA 504 loan was one of the key factors that made it work for us. The 10 percent down payment allowed us to conserve a lot of cash that we were able to use for the build-out and improvements during construction."
Mike Brossier, Owner, The Olive Oil Factory, LLC (a.k.a. Sonoma Harvest Foods)
Building takes business into the future
“We saw the opportunity to purchase the land and build a custom facility that would hopefully fulfill our needs for the next 10 to 20 years. It was important to consolidate our offices, conference rooms, tasting room, olive-crushing system, and barrel room for the winery, all under one roof,” said Mike Brossier, Owner, The Olive Factory.
Mike, with his wife, Francine, founded the business in 2004, and it truly is a family affair--Mike’s two sisters, a brother-in-law and his wife’s cousin also work there, and he hopes to someday turn the business over to his own children. “We take care of our people and we treat everybody like family,” Mike said.
504 loan made purchase possible
“Owning the building was the best thing we could have done, and the SBA 504 loan was one of the key factors that made it work for us,” according to Brossier. “The 10 percent down payment allowed us to conserve a lot of cash that we were able to use for the build-out and improvements during construction.”
“Capital Access Group was so pleased to help Mike and Francine fulfill their vision,” said Cara Rudy, Vice President, Capital Access Group. “The Olive Oil Factory is a gem, a family-owned business that will create new jobs for the community and ensure the future of the next generation.”
Mike praised Cara for being “unbelievably helpful to us throughout the whole process,” he said. “She was there with us every step of the way. Everybody at Capital Access Group jumped through hoops and made it happen and without them we couldn’t have done it.”
Gourmet product lines expand
Today, the gourmet specialty food manufacturer creates much more than olive oil, and its wide range of distinctive products—including coconut oils, salad dressings, mustards and barbecue sauce—attests to the fact that building ownership is a great step toward stabilizing and growing a business for the future. The latest addition to the brand family is their Sonoma Harvest brand, which includes over 100 food items, as well as their new Winery under the same brand.
Owning the building means they can custom design it not only for existing production needs, but for future needs as well.
Building inspires confidence with business
With the move, they can now handle bigger customers and expand their production. “Now customers can see us shine and they have more confidence in us based on the new building, it’s a real showpiece” said Brossier.
They were able to build and design a custom hot-fill production area that includes steam kettles for cooking pasta sauce, salsa, jams & jellies, tapenades, etc. Owning the building meant they could design it from the ground up, with dedicated production areas, custom drains, steam generators, as well as natural gas and air lines necessary for this type of production.
The building was also designed with 399 solar panels on the roof, which will supply The Olive Oil Factory with up to 16,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per month.
“It’s exciting for us to help Mike and Francine, and in turn, to help The Olive Factory contribute to Fairfield’s economy,” said Rudy.
The Olive Oil Factory currently has 50 employees and could double that with the plans Mike has in store: at least 10 people are needed for a bottling line shift; plus more employees to run a tasting room, a new olive-crushing facility and a barrel room that will be available for events. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
About Capital Access Group: Capital Access Group is a leading statewide Certified Development Company based in San Francisco, authorized by the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide long-term, fixed-rate financing through the SBA 504 loan program, which offers 90% financing to business owners for the purchase, renovation, or construction of commercial real estate for their growing businesses. Founded in 1981, Capital Access Group has helped thousands of entrepreneurs grow their businesses and realize their dreams of owning their own buildings. Currently, the SBA 504 interest rate is 4.58%, fully amortized and fixed for 20 years. For more information, please visit www.capitalaccess.com.
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Source: Capital Access Group
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