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Food and Beverage

Leading With Experience

When it comes to food and beverage plant design, Hixson leads the way. Since our firm’s inception in 1948, Hixson has designed thousands of successful projects for many of the world’s leading food and beverage processors. Consistently recognized as a top food and beverage architecture and engineering firm, Hixson has significant expertise in numerous food and beverage market sectors including:

Meat & Poultry
Dairy
Beverages
Flavors & Ingredients
Plant-Based Proteins
Frozen Foods
Prepared Foods
Bakery
Spirits
Fruits & Vegetables
Dips & Spreads
Nutraceuticals

Featured Projects

Milo’s Tea Company

Milo’s Tea Company selected Hixson to design and engineer a greenfield, $130 million manufacturing and distribution facility to produce tea and lemonade products. The scope of the 180,000 SF project, which also incorporates office and employee welfare space, included master planning, site selection, process and packaging engineering, building and utilities…

Maple Leaf Foods

Leading consumer protein company Maple Leaf Foods selected Hixson to design and engineer a new, 640,000 SF, $720 million value-added fresh poultry facility in London, Ontario. Up to 100 million fresh chickens can be processed per year at the plant, which is one the most advanced poultry-processing facilities in the…

Abbott Nutrition

Food Engineering’s 2017 Food Plant of the Year, Abbott Nutrition’s Tipp City, OH plant produces popular nutritional supplements, including Ensure®, PediaSure® and Glucerna®. Hixson designed Phase 2 renovations at the plant, including the addition of a second line. The facility features Abbott’s fastest low-acid aseptic filling line in the world…

Vitalus

Facing compelling business drivers, Vitalus selected Hixson to expand its existing facility in Western Canada. One primary goal was to significantly increase processing capacity, growing from 130 million liters to 565 million liters of milk received from two Canadian provinces over a six-year ramp up. The project was also designed…

Samuel Adams

Hixson has provided architecture and engineering services for numerous projects at the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery for over a decade. For this $85MM project, Hixson designed building, utilities, and infrastructure for additional canning lines, a new AS/RS building, a new ISEP building, and a renovation of an existing warehouse. Extensive…

T. Marzetti

To meet growing demand, the T. Marzetti Company selected Hixson to design and engineer a $22.8 MM expansion to an existing dairy production facility located in Columbus, Ohio. The project adds 17,000 SF and three new packaging lines to the facility, with additional renovations to improve material and ingredient storage,…

Related Services

Architecture & Interior Design

Building Systems Engineering

Process & Manufacturing Engineering

Controls & Automation

EH&S Compliance & Permitting

Site Selection

Master Planning

Sustainability Consulting

Industrial Refrigeration

Industrial Wastewater

Strategic Facility Consulting

Recent Insights

February From Experience: Bonus Content

As discussed in the February issue of From Experience, proper pipeline and component sizing are essential for effective pressure control in a liquid system. To develop a well-balanced piping system, pressure control devices should be integrated into the design. A few typical devices with actuated control valves include: Back Pressure Regulators/Pressure Regulators. Back pressure regulators […]

From Experience – February 2025

Maintaining optimal pressure within a liquid system is crucial for ensuring all the users are getting required flow, which helps prevent process upsets. Flow and pressure are interrelated in a pressurized system. In the February issue of Hixson’s From Experience newsletter, we look at the design considerations for pressure control in liquid systems. Read it […]

Three Key Reasons For Utilizing Simulation

Spreadsheet programs are used for data analysis by nearly every organization across the globe. While these programs work well for quick data analysis, they struggle with modeling complex systems. In manufacturing, simulation provides a more advanced solution for developing models that include the various micro-processes making up a larger production line. In the latest issue […]

Understanding Building Automation System (BAS) Communication Protocols

A Building Automation System (BAS) integrates various controls to enhance energy efficiency and reduce operational costs. However, ensuring all equipment works in harmony presents a key challenge: For optimal performance, the devices within a BAS must communicate seamlessly. This communication depends on protocols – standardized methods for exchanging data between devices. In the latest issue […]

Nitrogen vs. Compressed Air for Dry Sprinkler Systems

Many facilities use compressed air for dry sprinkler systems, due to convenience and a lower initial investment. However, compressed air is also a common failure point for these systems, as its use can lead to pinhole leaks. Since these leaks can compromise entire sections of the dry sprinkler system, daily operations must be shut down […]

EH&S FE: Wastewater Pretreatment Systems Part 2

In the Summer issue of EH&S From Experience, we outlined six signs that you may need install a wastewater pretreatment system…or improve the one you have. After conducting research or discussions with your local sewer department, you may determine that it’s time for a new or upgraded system. If so, the next step is to […]

The Value of Interstitial Spaces

The production areas within a food and beverage plant are the most critical spaces in the facility. In addition to the production equipment itself, these areas require the appropriate design and maintenance to support proper hygiene and sanitation. They are also typically the most utility-intensive spaces as well. In the latest issue of Hixson’s From […]

Propylene Glycol: Too Much of a Good Thing

Throughout the food processing industry, propylene glycol is used in process heat transfer coolant systems when direct cooling with primary refrigerants is not acceptable, and the use of water alone would be at risk of freezing. After system maintenance or repairs, the propylene glycol and water concentration must be replenished in the system. Yet over […]

Six Signs Your Facility May Need a Wastewater Pretreatment System

Wastewater pretreatment is the process of removing pollutants from a facility’s wastewater to bring it from industrial levels of pollution (several thousand mg/L) closer to the more common residential levels of pollution (a couple hundred mg/L). At manufacturing plants, typical methods of wastewater pretreatment include equalization, pH adjustment, or pollution reduction. Of course, not every […]

Staying Safe: A Reminder from OSHA

Does your facility use meat grinders? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently sent out a reminder to keep your team members’ safe when working with this machinery. OSHA recommends that employees working with this equipment be trained to: Only use a proper plunger when feeding meat into grinders. Operate grinders only when feeding […]

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Contact Us

Want to learn more about Hixson and how we can help your Food and Beverage facility? Contact a member of our team today!

Nathan Arnold

Director, Client Development

narnold@hixson-inc.com

513-241-1230

Max Mather

Director, Client Development

mmather@hixson-inc.com

513-241-1230