Sacramento Container Corp., a maker of corrugated boxes, is expanding its operations and moving into the former Del Monte warehouse in Kingsburg.

The plant expects to open by April 15 with at least 25 workers but plans to increase that number to about 200 over the next two to three years.

Joseph LeRoy, chief executive officer of Sacramento Container, said that about 25% of the company's customer base is in the Valley, including Sun-Maid, Sunsweet Growers and Producers Dairy. The company started in Sacramento in 1992 and opened a Fresno warehouse in 2009.

The company, which makes cardboard boxes and containers for the food and beverage industry, has already begun moving into the warehouse building. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Kingsburg city leaders welcomed the manufacturer, saying the company will help fill the void left by Del Monte Foods, which ran a peach processing plant in the city for 90 years.

Del Monte announced last May that it would close its Kingsburg plant as well as its warehouse.

The closures meant the loss of about 70 full-time jobs and about 1,100 seasonal positions.

Jolene Polyack, economic development coordinator for the city of Kingsburg, said Sacramento Container's expansion gives the community a much-needed boost.

"Any time you have jobs coming into your community it is huge," Polyack said. "And to have a real positive company like Sacramento Containers come in is even better."

Polyack said the city has been very fortunate to have both Del Monte properties occupied.

Last month, Grace Church of the Valley bought the property that housed the processing plant for an undisclosed sum.

The plant has since been dismantled.

Polyack said the church was holding services on the Kingsburg High School campus and hopes to have a new church built by the end of the year. It has about 1,200 parishioners.