Plan calls for 60-silos
-July 28,2022-
Western Fresno County already has the big 100-silo Wonderful Pistachio plant and a big Assemi family plant (Touchstone) on the drawing board since 2018, a 49-silo project, that has been challenged by Wonderful and delayed for four years in this highly competitive industry. Now the Stamoules family wants to join the party to build a large pistachio hulling, processing, and packing facility on a 98-acres on the northwest corner of S. Newcomb Avenue and W. Muscat Avenue approximately 9.7 mile south of the City of Firebaugh. Once all phases are complete the plant would sport 60-silos.
Stamoules Produce Co., Inc., based in Mendota was launched in the 1920s as a cantaloupe grower when the Greek founder Spero Stamoules immigrated to the US.
According to their application to the County, the proposed project would be implemented in four phases, and each phase would include the construction and addition of buildings, working areas and equipment to increase the capacity of the project site.
Phase I of the project would include the construction of a 16,893 square-foot huller building, an approximately 5,608 square-foot drive-over dumping pit area, and an approximately 3,900 square-foot pre-cleaning area. Ten 8 by 29 feet dryers and 18 52- by 52-foot galvanized steel silos, each of 2,200,000-pound capacity, would be added to the project site west of the proposed huller building under Phase I of the proposed project.
Phase II of the project would include the construction of a 155,169-square-foot processing building for pistachios.
Phase III of the project would include the installation of processing, sorting, and packing equipment in the pistachio processing building, as well as the construction of twelve additional silos and the installation of ten additional dryer units.
Finally, Phase IV of the project would include the construction of a second 16,893-square-foot huller building, an additional drive-over dumping pit area and pre-cleaning area, and the construction and installation of 30 additional silos and 20 dryer units.
Pictured -Wonderful plant near Firebaugh