Photos: Snack food innovation center unveiled in Salem

By: Sam Tenney//July 17, 2015//

Photos: Snack food innovation center unveiled in Salem

Sam Tenney//July 17, 2015//

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A new innovation center for San Francisco-based Diamond Foods has officially opened聽 in Salem. The 7,000-square-foot facility was built adjacent to a factory that produces Kettle Brand chips, and will serve as a product development and testing space for the company’s brands of snack and nut products.

The building was designed by ZGF Architects to reflect the surrounding area, which includes two state designated wetlands along Mill Creek. The wood cladding is made of pressure-treated pine with Douglas fir accents, and stormwater planters manage runoff into the wetlands.

In addition to office space, the new facility includes a research and development kitchen, space for the public to test products, and the 鈥渘osh pit,鈥� an area for brainstorming ideas for new products. LCG Pence served as the general contractor on the 15-month project, which concluded in May.