Circle
 
SAN DIEGO —  Ajinomoto Windsor, who recently bought San Diego-based Circle Foods from Tyson Foods, purchased a 165,763-sq.-ft. Siempre Viva Business Park (SVBP) Building 16 from Murphy Development Company. MDC originally completed Building 16 as a build-to-suit for Circle Foods, a subsidiary of Stephan Bronfman’s Claridge Inc.

“MDC welcomes Ajinomoto Windsor to SVBP’s Fortune 500 row, to join Iron Mountain, General Dynamics, FedEx and the other strong and growing tenants,” said Kaitlin Arduino, MDC’s executive vice president.

On March 21, Tyson Foods agreed to sell its Circle Foods operations to Japanese food producer, Ajinomoto Co. Inc.

Circle Foods distributes flatbreads, tortillas and Mexican food products under brands including TortillaLand, Nuevo Grille and Rotiland.

“We anticipate this transaction to be completed this spring and are working with Ajinomoto Windsor on a transition plan for operations,” Tyson said in a statement on March 21. “As part of this transaction, we will retain some elements and assets of our San Diego operations. Our primary focus will be to continue delivering results for our customers by producing high quality products.”

Tyson Foods acquired Circle Foods in 2013, assuming the long-term lease with MDC.

Tyson, which has had up to 1,000 employees, is scheduled to cease operations in April 2018. After food processing renovations and new equipment have been installed, Ajinomoto Windsor will expand food-processing operations in the facility.