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May 16, 2007
FLORIDA, NY – Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation, producer of all-natural baby foods, is investing more than $124 million in the construction of a new 650,000 square-foot processing and packaging plant in the town of Florida and relocating its corporate headquarters to this new facility.
Beech-Nut is currently headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The company is replacing its aging Canajoharie plant. The 100-plus year old facility suffered extensive damages during the Mohawk River flooding in June 2006, scrapping prior plans to undertake a more modest equipment upgrade. The considerable flood damages prompted Beech-Nut’s decision to construct a new plant that will feature modernized processing equipment.
The company expects to retain and relocate 356 jobs at locations in nearby Canajoharie and Fort Plain. The new plant and headquarters will lead to the creation of 135 new jobs in the town of Florida.
The Empire State Development Corporation and Beech-Nut have agreed to a series of project milestones, through which the company will be eligible to apply for up to $18 million in funds for construction, and machinery and equipment costs. Under the agreement, Beech-Nut will receive the full amount upon reaching project targets set by the Empire State Development Corporation.
A portion of the funds will come from the Empire State Development Corporation’s JOBS Now grant program, which offers financing assistance for major business expansion and job creation efforts to private, non-retail companies. As the project is located in the Amsterdam Empire Zone, Beech-Nut will also be eligible for an estimated $42 million in Empire Zone benefits, based on meeting predetermined employment targets.
Beech-Nut has also reached an agreement with the Montgomery County Industrial Development Agency for up to $38.5 million in tax incentives. The company is eligible to apply for: a $2 million grant from the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA); a $750,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Community Renewal’s Office for Small Cities; and up to $250,000 in grants from National Grid. Beech-Nut also will receive $3 million from a State Assembly appropriation grant.
“Beech-Nut’s continued success in Montgomery County is a story of resilience,” said Governor Eliot Spitzer. “Not only will this new facility expand the state’s manufacturing base, it will also be a boon for local farmers and the entire region.”
Beech-Nut began as a family business in Canajoharie in 1891, producing meats. The company entered the baby foods industry in 1931, and went on to become the first in the industry to remove added salt from their products. Today, Beech-Nut produces more than 150 all-natural products and is the only major company to offer baby food free of added sugar.
This announcement marks the 15th upstate economic development project in 2007. It is projected that these projects will retain and create nearly 6,000 jobs. Some of these projects include: Sematech in Albany County; BAE Systems in Broome County; Corning, Inc. in Steuben County; Carestream Health in Monroe County; Bass Pro Shops and Citigroup in Erie County.
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