Freshpet, a producer of refrigerated dog and cat food, has announced plans to expand its Hanover Township, Pennsylvania manufacturing facility. The expansion, which is part of a $100 million strategic capital investment plan, will create 100 new jobs over the next three years. The project will cover the renovation of an existing 50,000-square-foot building and construction of the 90,000-square-foot addition.
Company officials hope that the expansion will lead to over $500 million in sales from products made at the facility. Dubbed “Freshpet Kitchens 2.0”, part of the expansion will also include the implementation of more automation equipment to improve quality, safety, and operational efficiency. Production is tentatively slated to begin in late 2020.
The current 100,000-square-foot facility sits on 14.2 acres and employs 221 workers involved in manufacturing, research and development, and other support roles. Freshpet also expects the manufacturing expansion to increase the purchasing of locally produced ingredients by approximately two-thirds and support additional jobs at local third-party warehousing and logistics providers.
Freshpet received a proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development for a $500,000 Pennsylvania First grant and an additional $300,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits. The latter would be distributed upon creation of the new jobs. The Manufacturing Tax Credit Program, Workforce Development Board, and PA CareerLink will also provide support for the project.
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