A Rochester-based food manufacturer is bringing new life to a Dexter facility.

Reichel Foods is adding 14 jobs to the Dexter area after purchasing the former McNeilus Companies warehouse facility along Interstate 90 from the Development Corporation of Austin.

“This is a great opportunity for us to get into a large facility at a good location,” Craig Reichel, owner and president of Reichel Foods, said in a press release. “The building fits our needs really well.”

Established in 1997, Reichel Foods manufactures snack foods, including the popular line of Dippin’ Stix products. It has more than 400 employees in the Rochester area.

The Austin DCA, a private nonprofit corporation focused on economic development in Austin and greater Mower County, built the facility in 2003 in a Dexter industrial park just northeast of the I-90 juncture with Minnesota Highway 16. Located roughly halfway between Austin and Rochester, the 54,200-square-foot warehouse facility was built on a 9-acre lot with room for expansion and features a 30-foot-high ceiling.

Originally, the DCA designed the facility for McNeilus Companies, based in Dodge Center, Minnesota, to manufacture composite cement mixer drums. McNeilus halted operations in 2009 at the Dexter facility and vacated the building in 2013.

“The Reichel Foods distribution center is a nice fit for the building and the area,” said John Garry, DCA president and CEO. “These are good jobs for Dexter. I’m excited for the community, Reichel Foods and our region. I think it will work out really well.”

Garry noted that Reichel Foods is known for its community involvement, including being awarded this spring with the Channel One Regional Food Bank’s 2014 Donor of the Year Award.