Custom beverage developer Flavorman started construction on its expanded beverage campus in Louisville, Kentucky. The $8.5 million project is expected to create 30 full-time jobs.

Located on South 8th Street in downtown Louisville, the 28,000-square-foot expansion of Flavorman’s state-of-the-art beverage campus will connect to the company’s main laboratory. The expanded facility will boost production capacity and expand Flavorman's blending, bottling/canning, processing and bulk storage operations. The expansion is projected to be completed by fall 2022.

Flavorman located at its current facility in 2006 before purchasing a neighboring building in 2012 that would become the Distilled Spirits Epicenter and house an educational distillery called Moonshine University.

“This expansion is an incredible opportunity for our city,” said David Dafoe, founder and CEO of Flavorman. “When I started Flavorman almost 30 years ago, I did it out of a passion for the craft. I’m proud of the role Flavorman and Moonshine University continue to play in establishing Louisville as the epicenter for not just bourbon, but the beverage industry overall.”

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in June 2017 preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $130,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $2 million and annual targets of creation and maintenance of 20 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years and paying an average hourly wage of $20 including benefits across those jobs.

In addition, KEDFA approved Distilled Spirits Epicenter for up to $30,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing. By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments. In addition, the company can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network.

“Kentucky’s economy continues to gain momentum, and our state’s food, beverage and agritech sector is a vital part of that growth,” Governor Andy Beshear said. “This expansion by Flavorman will not only allow the company to take its business to the next level, but will also create quality job opportunities for residents in the Louisville area while encouraging innovation within the commonwealth’s food and beverage and spirits industries. I want to thank the leadership at this homegrown Kentucky company for furthering their commitment to our state and our talented workforce.”

Together, Flavorman and Moonshine University make up a world-class beverage campus that houses a fully equipped educational distillery, state-of-the-art classroom, production facility with a custom bottling line, extensive sensory library and a beverage innovation laboratory, company officials said.