A company that supplies breweries, wineries and distilleries with fresh yeast and related products, White Labs, Inc. plans to invest $8.1 million during the next five years to open a production facility, with plans to create 56 jobs over the next three years in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina.

The plant will manufacture yeast for alcoholic beverage production, conduct sales and marketing, beer production, on premise beer sales, classes and retail sales.

"At White Labs we are excited about being closer to our customer base in North Carolina and the East Coast, and having the opportunity to expand production to meet our industry's growing needs," said Chris White, President/CEO of White Labs. "We expect this facility to be our anchor for production needs east of the Mississippi and places beyond including Europe. The decision of where to locate our facility was difficult, and we made this decision based on the people we worked with, the city of Asheville, the great breweries in the area, and the quality of life we have witnessed."

Governor Pat McCrory said, “By locating its East Coast operations in Buncombe County, it is establishing North Carolina as a key location for other companies related to the craft beer and wine industries.” The project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund of up to $40,000.

In addition to the N.C. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership, other partners that helped with this project include: N.C. Community Colleges, Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College, Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County, Buncombe County and the City of Asheville.