WASHINGTON — Cuisine Solutions will expand its facility in Sterling, Virginia, where it produces prepared meals for airlines, cruise ships, restaurants and the military.

Cuisine Solutions opened the Sterling facility in 2013 to expand production capacity for its gourmet food items, which are prepared using the sous-vide cooking method the company pioneered in the 1970s.

Cuisine Solutions will add 63,000 square feet to its Sterling operation and invest close to $70 million in equipment, technology and construction.

“This is great news for an important Loudoun County company, but also great news for the diversity of the Loudoun economy,” said Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall.

Cuisine Solutions founder and “chief scientist” Dr. Bruno Goussault invented the sous vide (French for “under vacuum”) technique of preparing meals in sealed bags cooked in water baths. It allows for food to be shipped and stored without preservatives and without the loss of flavor or texture.

The company will receive incentives from Loudoun County, though details were not immediately available. The county said it is finalizing the incentives package that is pending approval of the board of supervisors.

The package will include construction of a new road leading to the Sterling facility that will be called Sous Vide Lane.

“Over the last several years, we have worked closely with various groups within Loudoun County to expand our production capabilities. These resources, coupled with the proximity to multiple means of transportation, have made Loudoun County an ideal headquarters location,” said Cuisine Solutions CFO Mark Kujawa.

In addition to its institutional customers, Cuisine Solutions’ prepared meals are also sold by retailers and directly to consumers.

The company has another facility in Alexandria and operations in France.