Blog

Grillo’s Pickles Expands Production with Integrated Solutions from the Grote Family of Brands

Oct 12, 2026

When Grillo’s Pickles set out to increase production capacity and bring more manufacturing in-house, the fast-growing food brand needed a partner that could help turn its vision for a new production facility into reality.

Grillo’s partnered with the Grote Company Family of Brands to help design, equip, and implement food processing systems for its new 155,000-square-foot facility in Taylorsville, Indiana.

See How Grillo’s Built Its New Food Processing Facility
Hear from Grillo’s Pickles and the Grote Company Family of Brands about the collaboration behind the new 155,000-square-foot facility and how PFI, Vanmark, SPI Automation and ProFab worked together on the project.

Project at a Glance

Customer: Grillo’s Pickles
Location: Taylorsville, Indiana
Facility: 155,000 square feet
Goal: Increase production capacity and centralize more production through self-manufacturing
Solutions: Engineering, food processing equipment, automation and controls, process piping, implementation and installation
Partners: PFI, Vanmark, SPI Automation and ProFab

The Challenge: Expanding Production for a Fast-Growing Food Brand

Grillo’s Pickles is one of the fastest-growing food brands in the U.S. As consumer demand increased, the company needed additional production capacity and wanted to bring more of its manufacturing in-house.

That meant developing a new 155,000-square-foot food processing facility capable of supporting both its immediate production needs and continued growth.

But outfitting a new food manufacturing plant requires more than purchasing individual pieces of equipment. Grillo’s needed engineering expertise, processing equipment, automation and controls, process piping, installation and coordination across the project.

The company began looking for partners that could help bring those capabilities together.

The Solution: One Collaborative Food Processing Team

During its discovery process, Grillo’s met with PFI. A major differentiator quickly emerged: instead of managing a collection of disconnected suppliers, Grillo’s could access multiple food processing capabilities through one family of companies.

Grillo’s selected the Grote Company Family of Brands for the project, bringing together four specialized companies:

PFI provided engineering, project management, and installation along with its sanitary conveyance and bulk handling equipment
Vanmark supplied washing equipment.
SPI Automation provided controls and automation expertise.
ProFab provided process piping

PFI served as the overall project manager, giving Grillo’s a central point of contact while coordinating expertise from across the Grote Company Family of Brands.

“Grillo’s worked with PFI from engineering to implementation to installation,” said Bill Russell, Chief Operating Officer of Grillo’s Pickles. “Then, we worked with Vanmark for pieces of equipment, SPI Automation for controls, and ProFab for process piping. PFI was the overall manager of the project, with all four brands coming together seamlessly.”

The Result: A 155,000-Square-Foot Facility Built for Growth

The collaboration helped Grillo’s bring multiple aspects of its new production operation together through a coordinated group of food processing specialists.

The new Taylorsville facility expands Grillo’s production capacity, supports its move toward greater self-manufacturing and provides infrastructure for continued growth. The plant celebrated its grand opening in July and is expected to create up to 150 new jobs.

Just as importantly, the project established a relationship that Grillo’s plans to continue.

“What really separated PFI and the Grote Company Family of Brands from some of the other partners that we looked at was the collaboration,” Russell said. “It’s a family of companies that we plan to do additional business with, and I look forward to it.”

Simplifying Complex Food Processing Projects

For food manufacturers, major expansion and greenfield projects can mean coordinating equipment manufacturers, automation integrators, engineering resources, contractors and installers.

The Grote Company Family of Brands brings complementary capabilities together to help simplify that process—from engineering and food processing equipment to conveying, automation, controls, process piping, installation and ongoing support.

“Working with Grillo’s on this extensive project is an example of how PFI and the entire family of brands work together to deliver holistic solutions that simplify the purchasing process, delivery and installation, while providing reliable ongoing support and maintenance,” said Tom Vipond, General Manager of PFI.

For Grillo’s, that meant one collaborative team helping move a major new food processing facility from engineering through implementation and installation.