Eugene, Oregon-based Yogi is a leading manufacturer of natural tea that recently opened the doors of its new 189,000-square-foot production facility. The $21 million building consolidated what were three separate locations, bringing all 120 employees under one roof for the first time. The company is hoping to be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified tea production facility in the United States.
The new plant more than doubles the company’s previous 84,000 square feet of production space. Yogi has also committed $5 million for new equipment projected to increase output by 30 percent. Additional environmental features of the design include:
- A facility location chosen based on the fact that it was not farmland, in the floodplain, or the habitat for any endangered species.
- Covered storage for bicycles.
- Preferred parking for low emissions and more fuel-efficient vehicles.
- Improved energy and water efficiencies by capturing 90 percent of storm runoff.
- Employee-focused amenities such as locker rooms with showers, a lunchroom with marketplace vending service, outdoor seating areas, and an open office layout.
- A southwest exposure to provide the office building with year-round natural-light exposure.
When operations hit their stride next month, the plant will be able to produce 2.6 million tea bags a day, up from two million the year prior. Part of the $26 million project was supported by a five-year property tax waiver from the state of Oregon worth at least $ 900,000. The tax break is part of a state-sanctioned enterprise zone program that stemmed from creating 18 new jobs in the first year of the waiver.
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