Palermo's frozen pizzas is expanding to West Milwaukee. It will be at former Froedtert site

The maker of Palermo's frozen pizzas plans to expand through a new West Milwaukee production facility with 50 jobs.

Palermo Villa Inc.'s new operation will be at 3900 W. Lincoln Ave. That was the longtime site of Froedtert Malt Corp.'s complex before it was demolished in 2023.

That 200,000-square-foot production facility site is 3 miles from Palermo's headquarters at 3301 W. Canal St., in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley Industrial Center.

“Our priority is to keep market competitive jobs local and that means growth at our company headquarters on Canal Street in Milwaukee, continuing to increase capacity at our recently added Jefferson, Wisconsin facility, and now the development in West Milwaukee,” said Giacomo Fallucca, chief executive officer and board chair, in a Monday statement.

Palermo also recently began expanding its headquarters parking lots to accommodate its growth.

“We continue to see demand for our pizzas increase and are being proactive to meet future needs,” said Angelo Fallucca, president.

Palermo has more than 1,200 employees, including 800 in Milwaukee.

The new facility needs approval from the West Milwaukee Plan Commission, Community Development Authority and Village Board. A groundbreaking is expected in August, with the building completed by June 2025.

It "would be a welcome addition to the industrial base of West Milwaukee," said John Stalewski, village president.

Village officials a year ago did an initial review of conceptual plans from Dickman Development LLC to build light industrial facilities at the 20-acre former Froedtert Malt complex.

That included $4 million to be provided through a tax incremental financing district. That district would use property tax revenue from the new development to generate cash to help pay for the project.

Froedtert Malt operated in West Milwaukee for a century

The former Froedtert Malt complex, located a few blocks east of Miller Park Way, was known for its towering grain elevators. The company moved to West Milwaukee in the early 1920s, processing malted barley that it sold to brewers throughout the world.

Froedtert Malt later changed ownership. The malting complex was last operated by Malteurop, a French company, until shutting down in January 2022.

Palermo's new facility is being developed and constructed by The Dickman Co., Briohn Builders and Excel Engineering.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee-based Palermo's frozen pizzas is building new facility