Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, opened its new state of the art and sustainable corporate headquarters in Jersey City, New Jersey. The company also renovated its production center in Secaucus as part of a $500 million global expansion over the past 10 years.

"This marks the largest expansion in Goya's history," says Bob Unanue, President of Goya Foods. "It is the culmination of almost 80 years of hard work and part of a 10 year strategic plan, designed to reach new consumers and strengthen the Goya brand worldwide."

Goya's new center features a 600,000-square-foot warehouse for distribution and 42,000-square-foot corporate office space in Jersey City as well as a renovated 240,000-square-foot production facility in Secaucus, totaling nearly 900,000-square-feet on 58 acres of land.

According to company officials, in New Jersey alone, Goya has invested $250 million and additional resources to its facilities in Jersey City, Secaucus and Pedricktown, reinforcing the company's role as an important and long standing member of the region's business community. The opening of the new Jersey City facility ensures the retention of over 500 existing local jobs and offers 100 new positions.

"We are very excited to complete this stage of our strategic plan and to reap the overall benefits that it will provide," says Peter Unanue, Executive Vice President of Goya Foods. "We recognize the important role businesses play in leading the way for social and environmental change. Each new facility will enable us to operate more efficiently and environmentally friendly as well as support our growth for many more years to come."

Constructed to provide a net zero carbon foot print, the Jersey City facility will be 100% powered by a solar powered energy system using 12,000 panels on 11 acres of rooftop. The system will fulfill the entire facility's electrical needs without drawing any energy from the public grid. This translates into the ability to generate enough energy to power 30,000 homes on an annual basis.

Currently under renovation, and soon to be completed, the state of the art production facility in Secaucus will be equipped with solar panels, rail service and advanced technology, including a continuous motion line for Goya's popular rice mixes. This will produce 600 packages per minute, six times faster than the current production capability. The installation of rail service will significantly reduce transportation costs, traffic congestion and fuel consumption.

"Goya has been a cornerstone of our state's business community and a great corporate citizen with a commitment to keep jobs here in New Jersey. As the nation's largest Hispanic owned food company, they have not only added to our economic growth, but stand as an example of our state's extraordinary diversity," says Governor Chris Christie. "New Jersey is proud to be partners with Goya. And with the opening of this new state of the art and sustainable corporate headquarters, I'm proud that our partnership will continue to benefit the people of our state for years to come."