By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
OCEANPORT – The Two River Times has confirmed that MGT Foods, headquartered in Keyport and owned and operated by the same family for three generations, will create a 19,567-square-foot industrial food manufacturing facility inside Fort Monmouth’s former Commissary building at 675 Oceanport Way.
Now known as Commissary at Baseline, the building is being transformed into a food and beverage-centric facility by new owner Denholtz Properties of Red Bank. The first company to sign on, Birdsmouth Beer, a craft brewery and tasting room, is scheduled to open next month. The second, MGT Foods, has begun a multimillion-dollar construction project on its section, with completion projected for the first quarter of 2023, according to company vice president Michael Emanuele.
“It’s a great building built by the Army,” said Emanuele, adding automated, state-of-the-art food production lines, offices and warehouse and shipping spaces will be included in the retrofitting.
Established in Brooklyn in 1968 by first-generation American Santo Emanuele, MGT Foods specializes in food science, manufacturing and distribution. Its mar- quee products include Mr. Green Tea Ice Cream, Mr. Mochi, The Bear & The Rat Cool Treats for Dogs and Eat Mud Non-Dairy Ice Cream, all sold in restaurants, grocery stores and event spaces nationwide. In recent years, Emanuele said, the company has expanded into co-manufacturing, co-packaging and distributing for major food brands and private labels, including national firms he declined to name.
“Growing demand for MGT’s services necessitated a search for a nearby production facility,” Emanuele said. “The new space at Fort Monmouth will allow MGT to expand its production output and provide its unique and proprietary food manufacturing capabilities to more brands and consumers worldwide. The high-tech, exacting process we use emphasizes food safety, production speed, quality and cost savings that are attracting big businesses.”
Near the 42 E. Front St., Keyport headquarters it has maintained for 14 years, the family built a food laboratory designed to research concepts to produce novelties differently. It opened in 2020 right before COVID shut down the restaurants that sold MGT Foods products. The laboratory was transitioned into a production facility instead, focused on consumer-packaged goods. That part of the operation will now move to Fort Monmouth. The family initially planned to keep all the facilities in Keyport but decided Fort Monmouth would be a better fit and offer more opportunities. “We are ecstatic to go to the fort,” Emanuele said, adding his late grandfather Santo flew B-17 bombers for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He learned of the Commissary space from a real estate agent contact. “I went to see it, met Steve Denholtz, and we immediately clicked.”
“As a business defined by an entrepreneurial spirit ourselves, we are deeply proud that MGT Foods has decided to continue their impressive six-plus decade growth story at The Commissary at Baseline,” said Denholtz Properties CEO Steven Denholtz. “Their presence will further augment our growing roster of unique food and beverage concepts and help us continue to firmly establish this unique property as a vital piece in Fort Monmouth’s transformation.”
Experienced in the dairy and grocery trade, Santo Emanuele developed then-exotic ice cream flavors like green tea, red bean, and ginger which became popular in area restaurants, and founded the original Mr. Green Tea company. Santo’s son Richard eventually took over as CEO and the firm moved to New Jersey. Richard’s wife Lori heads the accounting department, while son Michael, 36, serves as vice president. After residing in Colts Neck for many years, Richard and Lori moved to Red Bank. Michael now lives in Asbury Park. Other family members are involved in various aspects of the business as well.
Michael, a Colts Neck High School and Villanova University graduate who began his career as a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Defense Department, joined the family business in 2009, employing his technological experience to maximize new opportunities emerging via social media to increase the company’s operations and visibility.
“Working with Denholtz Properties and the borough of Oceanport has been a breath of fresh air as they recognize the untapped potential of the fort and immediately understood how MGT Foods can help return the area to its former glory,” Emanuele said, adding his grandfather’s Army service enhances the company’s presence on the 1,126-acre fort, which spans portions of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls.
Santo Emanuele was a member of the legendary “Lucky Bastard Club” of bomber pilots who returned home after the war. His son Chuck, who has researched and chronicled the group’s history, is working with the Apple TV+ production of “Masters of the Air,” a nine-part series that is part of the Band of Brothers franchise produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Set to air later this year, the show is adapted from Donald L. Miller’s book “Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany.” Actor Austin Butler (the lead in “Elvis”), stars in the series.
Denholtz Properties acquired the 26-acre parcel that includes the Commissary from the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) in 2020. Redevelopment of the Commissary is the first phase. In phase two, the commercial real estate investment and development company will construct 72,400 square feet of industrial/flex space across three buildings, scheduled for completion in 2023.
The article originally appeared in the September 15 – 21, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
