Nutkao USA, Inc. will invest more than $17 million to locate its nut butter manufacturing operation in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The company plans to create 100 new jobs during the next five years in Nash County.

The Italian-based company is an international producer of nut-based spreads, creams, and fillings. The company produces hazelnut butter spreads, cocoa and cocoa-nut spreads, and milk and dark chocolate spreads. The hazelnut spread market is a growing sub- category of peanut butter throughout the United States.

Davide Braida, President of Nutkao USA expressed their appreciation ““The USA venture is a key step for Nutkao international development. We are happy to build our new manufacturing operation in Nash County where , thanks to the local authorities support , we have identified the ideal conditions to run our USA business. We appreciate the efforts of the State of North Carolina and we thank all the partners involved. We are here to build a long and fruitful relationship with the local community.”

“Eastern North Carolina is letting loose the unlimited talent of their workforce because of companies like Nutkao USA,” said Gov. Pat McCrory. “We welcome Nutkao to Rocky Mount, and we look forward to having them as a strategic partner for North Carolina.”

“Nutkao’s decision to locate in Nash County will mean more North Carolina products being sold in the global marketplace,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Sharon Decker. “Eastern North Carolina’s heritage in manufacturing, robust talent pool and attractive quality of life will be a perfect fit for this growing company.”

Frank Harrison, Chairman of the Carolinas Gateway Partnership “We are so pleased and excited that NutKao USA has selected Nash County as the site for their first US manufacturing facility. This is a great addition to the food manufacturing family already located in the Twin County region. The jobs and investment committed by this company further illustrate that this area is competitive for global projects.”

The project was made possible in part by a performance-based grant from the One North Carolina Fund of up to $210,000. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds. These grants also require and are contingent upon local matches.

Other partners that helped with this project include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges, Nash County, City of Rocky Mount, The Golden Leaf Foundation and Carolinas Gateway Partnership.