Southern Foods Greensboro NC, a full-service meats, seafood, artisanal cheese and global specialty goods supplier that performs custom processing, commissioned A M King to perform a herculean task: Convert an 88,000-sf spec shell warehouse into a one-of-a-kind, innovative, modern, USDA-certified meat, seafood and cheese processing facility.

“It was important to all parties to locate an existing project site that could be used and modified to meet the owner’s needs,” says Jami Lloyd Lamb, A M King Design Leader. “With exterior precast walls, minimally insulated roof and structural steel already in place, we were able to meet our goal to design a thermally isolated space within the bounds of an existing structure.”

The complexity of this four-time award-winning project for Southern Foods Greensboro NC is evident in the design and construction of the 13,500-sf food processing area — which includes a distinctive, 4,200-sf meat aging room fitted with high-tech temperature and humidity controls, and large viewing windows that emphasize the dynamic nature of the meat curing process. The Southern Foods Greensboro NC facility also features a seafood processing area; a cheese processing room; the largest culinary center developed to date by parent company Cheney Brothers, Inc.; and express purchasing for the general public.

The new building allows 67-year-old Southern Foods to operate in a larger, more modern space, handle greater volumes, and save money in repairs and maintenance, thereby bringing even more competitive pricing to its marketplaces.