The Hitchcock GRP — Food & Cold-Chain Facilities
Automated food manufacturing production line

Food Manufacturing • Cold Chain • Logistics • Specialty Facilities

Purpose-Built Facilities for the Food Supply Chain

The Hitchcock GRP serves as the owner’s strategic and technical representative for food manufacturing, cold storage, distribution, and specialty facility projects—from site selection and feasibility through design, construction, commissioning, and operations.

Trusted by leading brands and operators

  • Baked By Melissa
  • Dr. Praeger's
  • Otafuku Foods
  • ShopRite
  • Mama's Creations
  • ColdTrack
  • Oddisea SuperFrozen
  • TriTemp America
  • Quality Steak, Inc.
  • Fayman & Sorbello Food Group
  • Bylada Foods
  • Zaro's
  • Alle Processing
  • International Shoppes
  • jetBlue

An integrated food-infrastructure platform

Develop. Modernize. Automate. Deliver. Operate.

The Hitchcock GRP helps food manufacturers develop new facilities or modernize existing ones, integrate automation across the building and production environment, and manage the capital project through startup. After commissioning, we can remain the owner's facility-management partner—overseeing the physical asset, maintenance systems, and future capital improvements.

01

Facility Development

Site strategy, feasibility, programming, due diligence, real estate, approvals, and capital planning.

02

Facility Modernization

Plan, coordinate, and phase construction within operating facilities, aligning expansion and renovation with production needs to minimize disruption.

03

Automation Integration

Equipment automation and AI-enabled technology coordination to improve productivity, labor efficiency, and use of existing production capacity.

04

Capital Project Delivery

Design oversight, procurement, construction management, cost and schedule control, commissioning, and turnover.

05

Asset Management

Physical-asset oversight, maintenance systems, vendor coordination, lifecycle planning, and future capital improvements.

Sectors

Specialized environments for the food supply chain

We support owners and operators whose facilities must balance food safety, temperature integrity, throughput, maintainability, and regulatory requirements.

Food Manufacturing

Our experience spans bakeries and a wide range of food manufacturing environments, including FDA-regulated and USDA-inspected facilities, SQF-certified operations, and facilities subject to state and local health, OSHA, EPA, and other applicable regulatory requirements. We anticipate project risks, assemble the right team, manage schedules, and maintain budget discipline. We focus on delivering the facility you need so you can focus on operating and growing your business. With more than 15 years of experience in food manufacturing and cold storage facilities, we understand the demands of these specialized projects.

“Zack explained the full process we needed, from dealing with the city for permits through starting operations. Throughout, we knew what was happening and what was next. It was my first construction project that I didn't lose sleep over.”

Melissa

Founder, Baked by Melissa

Kitchen interior

Temperature-Controlled and Cold Storage Facilities:

We oversee temperature-controlled facilities operating from 34°F to –72°F, coordinating refrigeration, the insulated building envelope, and everyday operating requirements to protect temperature integrity.

From planning through commissioning, we help minimize air infiltration and ice formation while supporting product safety, energy efficiency, and reliable operations.

Explore our cold-storage approach
High-ceiling warehouse freezer with pallet racking and boxed inventory along a clear central aisle

Full facility lifecycle

Continuity from first decision through operations

A single strategic and technical representative connects facility strategy, automation, project delivery, startup, and long-term asset performance.

  1. 01

    Strategy

  2. 02

    Site

  3. 03

    Feasibility

  4. 04

    Design

  5. 05

    Construction

  6. 06

    Commissioning

  7. 07

    Asset Operations

Our role does not have to end at startup. We can continue managing the facility, maintenance program, vendor network, and capital-improvement roadmap as the operation evolves.

Project Delivery & Owner's Representation

We provide an accountable owner-side lead across planning, design, approvals, procurement, construction, and turnover.

Goal Setting
We work directly with internal stakeholders across departments to ensure all business interests are integrated.
Site Selection
Collaborate on due diligence of potential sites to ensure understanding of how each impacts budget and operational goals.
Representation for Permitting
We present the project for permitting and approvals at local meetings and hearings.
Value Engineering
Guide design professionals on ways to lower project costs while meeting business objectives.​
Construction Management
We guide your project to completion by managing all aspects of construction.
Budgeting Process
A fully managed process with the communication and guidance you need from your goals through invoice approvals.
Scheduling
Site visits and organization of inspectors, subs, and your team for smoother meetings and less wasted time.
Contractor RFP Process
We create a process that results in more accurate bids and timelines.

Development & Asset Services

We align real estate decisions, facility requirements, capital plans, and long-term operating priorities.

Site Selection
Market, zoning, access, utility, and operational analysis to evaluate candidate sites, supported by LOI and deal-term oversight.
Lease Contract Oversight
Liaison between attorney and client to ensure terms and risks are aligned with your long-term interests.
Financial Analysis
Deal, project, budgeting analyses that answer all your real estate related questions.
Design & Engineering
Oversee and coordinate architects, engineers, and other design professionals, including process engineers and production-flow specialists for new or redesigned food-production rooms. Align equipment layouts, operating flows, and facility infrastructure with the owner's production goals.
Permitting & Insurance
Ensure appropriate levels of insurance and the right designations. Drive the permitting process between expeditors and design team.
Asset Management
Create lease analyses and abstracts, operations budgets, and purchase order and cost tracking systems.
Facility Management
Custom maintenance programs cost analysis of internal and outsourced systems to keep your property humming.
Operational Readiness
Coordinate commissioning, training, documentation, maintenance planning, and turnover so facility teams are prepared for operation.
JetBlue

“Zack consistently went above and beyond to ensure the job was done correctly. He has a special combination of incredible work ethic, intelligence, knowledge of his craft, communication skills and passion for what he does.”

Jeffrey R. Nesbit
Director of Redevelopment, JetBlue Airways

Selected project experience

Meat Processing Facility

New Jersey • 68,000 square feet • Meat processing and cold storage

Facility requirements
36°F refrigerated areas, including the processing room and loading dock; 0°F freezer storage; a −20°F blast freezer for product; office space for the company headquarters; and ambient dry warehouse space for materials.
The challenge
The owner needed a single point of oversight for a new, purpose-built facility while remaining focused on running the business. The project also coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, adding challenges throughout delivery.
Our role
The Hitchcock GRP joined before design began and provided owner-side oversight through facility opening. Our role included design oversight and coordination across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and civil engineering; value engineering, budgeting, and cost analysis; management of the bidding process, bid leveling, and general contractor selection. As the owner’s liaison and single point of communication, we oversaw project completion, equipment installation, commissioning, and move-in.
The result
Delivered a new, ground-up meat processing and cold-storage facility purpose-built for the owner’s operations. Through the challenges of the pandemic, The Hitchcock GRP maintained disciplined oversight and continuity from early planning through opening. Our involvement continues today through select asset management responsibilities.

Baking Facility

New Jersey • 55,000 square feet • Warehouse-to-bakery conversion

The challenge
Transform an existing warehouse and distribution facility into a purpose-built commercial bakery, bringing bakery production, ambient storage, coolers, and freezers together within a single facility.
Our role
The Hitchcock GRP guided the project from real estate sourcing and acquisition through design, construction, and client turnover. THG provided continuity across the real estate and construction phases, coordinating delivery of a space tailored to the client’s production and storage requirements.
The result
A completed bakery and production facility delivered to the client on time.

Frozen Food Manufacturing Facility

New Jersey • 25,000 square feet • New production facility

The challenge
A growing manufacturer of bite-sized frozen appetizers had outgrown its existing operation and needed a facility capable of supporting increased demand while accommodating future growth.
Our role
The Hitchcock GRP provided project management for the design and construction of a new 25,000-square-foot food-processing facility. The project addressed the manufacturer’s immediate production needs while incorporating the capability to expand as the business developed.
The result
A facility designed to support the company’s next stage of growth, with room for future expansion.

Ready-to-Eat Food Manufacturing Facility

New Jersey • Multi-phase expansion and renovation • Operating production facility

The challenge
A ready-to-eat food manufacturer needed to expand and adapt its existing facility to meet growing demand and evolving product requirements, while introducing new automated equipment to increase productivity. Integrating the equipment and supporting utility upgrades within an operating production environment added complexity to project planning and coordination.
Our role
The Hitchcock GRP served as project manager and owner’s representative for design and construction across multiple phases of expansion and renovation. We coordinated utility upgrades to accommodate the expanded facility and new automated equipment, and oversaw equipment installation and commissioning following delivery. Our role provided coordinated owner-side oversight as the facility evolved alongside the business.
Project focus
Aligning phased facility improvements with changing production needs within an active manufacturing operation.
Explore construction planning around active operations

Explore equipment automation coordination

Seafood Processing Facility — Brooklyn

New York City • Approximately 34,000 square feet • Building renovation and tenant fit-out

The challenge
Prepare approximately 34,000 square feet within an existing building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a seafood-processing tenant, bringing together base-building improvements and specialized food-processing requirements.
Our role
The Hitchcock GRP provided project oversight for the renovation. The scope combined building-code upgrades with a comprehensive tenant fit-out incorporating offices, processing areas, and refrigerated storage within one coordinated renovation.
The result
An existing building upgraded and fitted out to accommodate a seafood-processing operation.

How we work

A clear starting point. A coordinated path forward.

Bring us in when you're defining the opportunity or when an existing project needs direction. We shape our involvement around your priorities and project stage.

  1. 01

    Initial discussion

    We start with your business goals, facility requirements, current constraints, and timing.

  2. 02

    Scope and feasibility

    We clarify the decisions ahead, assess key risks, and define where owner-side support will be most useful.

  3. 03

    Project planning

    We align responsibilities, budget, schedule, and the right technical team around an agreed scope.

  4. 04

    Delivery and turnover

    We coordinate the agreed work through execution, commissioning, and operational readiness, with ongoing asset support when needed.

Discuss your starting point

Ready to move your project forward? Let's talk.