Lancaster Colony picks R&D location

Lancaster Colony has settled on a spot in Lewis Center for a research and development center for its brands.

The company known for Marzetti salad dressings and other retail and food products has leased 45,000 square feet of space on Green Meadows Drive as part of a move to centralize its innovation efforts.

The company announced last summer its plan to develop a center near its Westerville headquarters, telling analysts that it was running out of space for R&D at its plant in Columbus.

“In 50 years as a public company, we’ve never had a dedicated innovation center,” said Dale Ganobsik, the company’s vice president of investor relations and treasurer. “It is a much-needed investment for future growth.”

The space will be used to work on sauces, dressing, bread products and other food items.

The new center will house about 50 workers at first, with space for more in the future.

It will allow Lancaster Colony to bring together its culinary, product development and food-safety teams, and allow them to collaborate with customers on products.

Ganobsik said the company expects the center to be ready in June.

The company would not disclose the cost of the investment.

Last year, the company said it would be making $60 million to $80 million in capital investments for this current fiscal year.