Gills Onions Company

Gills Onions of Oxnard, a leading processor of fresh whole peeled and diced onions, recently completed a $1.2-million renovation that has more than doubled the company's output. By adding six automated peeling machines to the four it already operated, the company now is capable of peeling and processing up to 25,000 pounds of onions per hour, up from 10,000 pounds per hour before the upgrade, said Gretchen Pereira, the company's sales and marketing manager.

Steve Gill, a partner in the Gills Onions processing and distribution operation, couldn't help but notice the seven vacant buildings on a 13 3/4-acre property adjacent to his Oxnard plant. He figured the facilities, most recently used by the U.S. Department of Energy for the forging of weapons casings, would make a nice, new home for a company that's currently squeezed into a 1 1/2-acre site. So when the property came up for sale, Gill was thrilled.

Steve Gill, a partner in the Gills Onions processing and distribution operation, couldn't help but notice the seven vacant buildings on a 13 3/4-acre property adjacent to his Oxnard plant. He figured the facilities, most recently used by the U.S. Department of Energy for the forging of weapons casings, would make a nice, new home for a company that's currently squeezed into a 1 1/2-acre site. So when the property came up for sale, Gill was thrilled.

Gills Onions of Oxnard, a leading processor of fresh whole peeled and diced onions, recently completed a $1.2-million renovation that has more than doubled the company's output. By adding six automated peeling machines to the four it already operated, the company now is capable of peeling and processing up to 25,000 pounds of onions per hour, up from 10,000 pounds per hour before the upgrade, said Gretchen Pereira, the company's sales and marketing manager.