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Pennsylvania Dutch Co., Inc., Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania, has purchased the fonner Iceland Seafood plant that is located in Lower Allen Township, Pennsylvania. The 200,000square-foot factory will house both the Pennsylvania Dutch Candies and Katharine Beecher Candies divisions. "It is a consolidation for better efficiencies. There is no room in our current facilities to grow our business," says President Richard Billman. The facilities that these two divisions are currently located - Mt. Holly Springs and Manchester, Pennsylvania - will be sold in the future, says Billman. Pennsylvania Dutch Co. will continue to operate its Melster facility in Cambridge, Wisconsin. The company's new plant fits well with its strategic plans to double manufacturing capacity over the next three to five years and increase staff to enhance the candy operation. Future plans also entail developing products for the convenience store market, the wholesale club market, and contract manufacturing/packaging. Currently, Katharine Beecher Candies and Melster Candies primarily sell to mass merchandisers and discount drug chains. "We really haven't developed much packaging for convenience or club stores, and such. They are major markets of candy distribution and we need to get involved, but we have not had the space to expand our production lines. This facility allows for further growth," says Billman, who expects the move to be completed by late spring of next year at the latest.