Throwback Thursday – Nalley’s Fine Foods

For this weeks Throwback Thursday trip we are visiting Modesto, California in February 1972 for the opening of the 87,000 square foot Nalleys Fine Foods Canning Facility, a process plant that Epstein designed and engineered and then constructed in an amazing 10 months!

Located on a 10-acre site this Nalleys facility produced, stored and distributed canned meat specialty products to Nalleys clients throughout the United States. In the 70s, Nalley's canned convenience foods included meat balls, ravioli, spaghetti products, corned beef hash, and lasagna. The first products to roll off this particular line were chili and beef stew.

The Nalleys plant featured a structural system that utilized concrete columns and a laminated wood beam roof system as well as exterior walls that were tilt-up panels with an exposed aggregate exterior face.

In 1972, Nalleys was a division of W.R. Grace & Co. a corporation for which Epstein provided design, engineering and construction services for many of its subsidiaries including Leaf Brands in Chicago, Belgium and Ireland, as well as the Jacques Borel Restaurants in France.

Today, Nalleys is now owned by Pinnacle Foods and Nalley's chili is the #1 chili in the northwest. Today, there are over 1,300 food products under the Nalleys label, ranging from pickles to canned foods, to salad dressing and peanut butter.