Food Firm to Move Into Former Ice Cream Plant

In a move lauded as “catalytic,” a major supplier of food to airlines, cruise lines and wholesale food outlets announced Thursday that it will relocate from Hawthorne to a facility in South Los Angeles.

FirstClass Foods Inc. will occupy a 13-acre former Breyer’s Ice Cream facility near Slauson and Western avenues. The move, which is expected to be completed by summer, will bring 150 jobs to the economically depressed area, said FirstClass Foods executive Lucienne Benzimra.

“The move will be catalytic in [the] revival of the manufacturing core of South Los Angeles,” said Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas.

The deal was arranged by Mayor Richard Riordan’s business team, which helped expedite loans, regulatory permits, state Empowerment Zone tax credits, and Department of Water and Power discounts.