Snapware Corp., a maker of plastic food containers that moved its headquarters from Fullerton to Mira Loma in April, now is uprooting its warehouse.
The company plans to move its distribution operation from its former Fullerton headquarters to near Ontario International Airport, said John Lown, founder and chief executive of privately held Snapware.
“Orange County is out of the question for the average blue-collar worker,” Lown said.
Snapware is looking for a 200,000- to 300,000-square-foot distribution facility near its headquarters in Mira Loma. The company moved to Mira Loma earlier this year after buying plastics maker Cal-Mold Inc.
“It’ll be easier to attract labor and provide housing when we do recruiting,” said the 45-year-old Lown, who lives in Huntington Beach.
Snapware sells airtight food storage containers through big retailers. The company makes food containers, pet food canisters, Hallmark-licensed Make-A-Gift jars and other home-storage products.
They sell at The Container Store, Target Corp., Costco Wholesale Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Albertson’s Inc., Kroger Co.’s Ralph’s chain, Petco Animal Supplies Inc. and PetsMart Store Support Group Inc.
Inventor Lown started the company in 1994. His climb to fame came with the invention of the spout for plastic motor oil bottles in 1990, and a line of gadgets like tuna-can drainers and measuring spoons on a ring that he markets under the Good Ideas name.
At the time of Snapware’s buy of Cal-Mold earlier this year, Lown said the move to Mira Loma would allow the combined company to do its own production in a state-of-the-art factory.
Snapware employs about 150 at the 170,000-square-foot factory and 10 at the 85,000-square-foot distribution facility in Fullerton.
Lown said he hopes to move the distribution operation to the Mira Loma area by next May.
“I’m driving to the goal of making this a $100 million company,” Lown said.
The company sells roughly 4 million containers annually and holds a tenth of the $225 million wholesale plastic food-storage market, Lown said.
That would give Snapware an estimated $20 million or so in yearly sales.
