Innovation Foods, a family owned food and beverage contract manufacturer, plans to build a $45 million processing and packaging plant in Millville, New Jersey. The project is expected to create 40 jobs.

The expansion will focus on plant-based aseptic packaging, which is a technique that extends the shelf life of beverages while using fewer additives. Construction will start with a 71,866-square-foot main plant.

“Manufacturing has long been part of the soul of the city of Millville, and we are proud to join that great legacy,” Nick Catalana, general manager of Innovation Foods, said in a statement. “We have a clear vision of what we want to accomplish, and we look forward to growing our businesses together.”

The new facility is part of an ongoing $110 million investment that began three years ago between Innovation and Swedish oat milk company Oatly, a food brand that produces alternatives to dairy products from oats. The new facility will be directly behind the Oatly plant and will allow Oatly to move product via a pipeline instead of tankers.

“Innovation Foods has been a key partner for us since the very beginning of our U.S. journey,” said Mike Messersmith, Oatly’s North American president. “This next step in their growth will make our shared mission to make sustainable, plant-based options available to people all over the country all the more possible.”

In partnership with Innovation Foods, Oatly opened its first United States facility in 2019.