Delaware-based poultry company, Townsends, Inc., announced the opening of its Atlanta business unit, Townsend Specialty Foods. Townsend's Innovation Center will offer customised poultry product solutions.

As part of CEO Tom Weisser's vision for growing business, everything about Townsend Specialty Foods is focused on providing innovative solutions and the highest quality further-processed poultry products and services to the food-service industry.

The new Atlanta office not only provides Townsend Specialty Foods a strategic location to better grow and cater to its food-service market, it will also house a new Innovation Center, slated to open in late December.

Like other companies in the food industry, Townsends has operated a research and development facility and test kitchen for years. However, the company now plans to shift its focus to product innovation.

Mr Weisser said: "This new facility is positioned to significantly bolster the research and development capabilities of Townsends, and will afford us the flexibility to better adapt to the changing market, as well as to customer requirements for customised product solutions."

Despite the industry's challenging economic environment, Townsends has been successful in expanding its operations by targeting growing niche markets, appealing to evolving customer demands, and by focusing on sales and marketing, quality value-added products and customer service.

The company says its new Townsend Specialty Foods Atlanta business unit and Innovation Center is proof of a poultry company on the move, driven by a strong devotion to service and excellence.