Area Development
Benestar Brands, an international food producer and the world’s leading producer of pork snacks, will establish a manufacturing and distribution facility at SOAR Business Park in Minford, Ohio. The $2.5 million project is expected to create 40 jobs in Scioto County by 2025.

The new facility, which will include warehousing capacity and bring the two operations under the same roof, will be located adjacent to the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport. The plant will manufacture tortilla chips and act as a regional consolidation center for pork snacks.

“We’re excited to expand our existing operations in Scioto County and be partnering with the Southern Ohio Port Authority and Scioto County Commissioners on expanding our physical footprint,” said Bruce Myers, President of Benestar Brands. “The region has proven to be a good business partner; receiving additional support from our partnership with OhioSE and JobsOhio. We see this as an opportunity to leverage the favorable logistics to both the Northeast and Southeast regions and leverage a local team with expertise in food production.”

In collaboration with JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, and Scioto County Economic Development, the expansion is being supported by a tax credit from the Ohio Department of Development and a $100,000 JobsOhio Grant.

“Benestar Brands currently employs more than 125 hard-working Ohioans at its first location in the state in Scioto County,” added J.P. Nauseef, President and CEO of JobsOhio. “We welcome the company’s continued growth in Ohio as it adds a new tortilla chip manufacturing facility and 40 new jobs for the region.”

The new facility will add to Benestar’s existing footprint in Chicago, Illinois, Arlington, Texas, City of Industry, California, Portsmouth, Ohio, and Saltillo, Mexico.

“OhioSE is extremely pleased to be able to support Benestar Brands’ expansion into the brand new Scioto County Port Authority’s speculative building at the Scioto County Airport at Minford,” said OhioSE President Mike Jacoby. “Evans Food Group has long been a valuable employer in Scioto County. The expansion into a tortilla chip line secures their future here and will add quality jobs to the market.”