Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) has decided to pump in $180 million in Wight County, southeastern Virginia for a production and distribution center that has the potential to create as many as 800 jobs over the next five years.
The facility will come up on a 330,000-square-foot building spanning across 64 acres, to house coffee roasting, grinding, flavoring and packing of Green Mountain’s specialty coffee business unit.
Waterbury, VT-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has revealed that the company will purchase the site for $15 million.
The leader in specialty coffee and coffeemakers expects to consummate the purchase in December 2011.
Virginia’s attractive business incentives and the workforce potential of Isle of Wight County’s robust local communities were the critical factors that contributed to the selection of the site for the facility.
Green Mountain may receive state benefits from the Virginia Enterprise Zone Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. In addition, through its Virginia Jobs Investment Program, the Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide funding and services to support the coffee maker with recruitment and training activities.
GreenMountain currently operates production and distribution facilities in Castroville, California; Knoxville, Tennessee; Essex, Waterbury and Williston, Vermont; Sumner, Washington; Toronto, Ontario; and, Montreal, Quebec. The company also conducts research and development activities in facilities in Reading, Wakefield and Woburn, Massachusetts; and in Waterbury, Vermont.
The company recently announced a substantial expansion to its facility in Essex with the prospect of a new roasting facility that has the probability of employing as many as 800 people. This builds on the already existing packaging facility and support offices in the existing buildings operated by Green Mountain in Essex.
The retail giant also expects to add a second new production and distribution facility in the U.S. in addition to the new site in Isle of Wight County during its current fiscal 2012.
