Freshly Inc., the leading provider of fresh prepared meals in the U.S., signed a lease for its second assembly and distribution facility in East Greenwich, New Jersey. The project is expected to create 340 jobs in the area.

Located in Gloucester County, the 234,000 sq. ft. facility will be Freshly’s largest distribution center, equipped to assemble and ship 1.6 million meals per week at peak capacity. Scheduled to be operational by February 2022, the new facility will help the company meet growing customer demand and reduce the order-to-delivery cycle time to consumers. Freshly will continue to operate its Linden, New Jersey, facility which employs 70 people.

“With Freshly’s corporate headquarters located in New York City, we’re excited to expand our footprint in the region and continue our growth in the Garden State,” said Freshly Founder and CEO Mike Wystrach. “The addition of a new facility of this size will bring hundreds of new jobs to East Greenwich and allow us to significantly scale our meal production to move us closer to the goal of being in every household in America. We are thankful for our partnership with Governor Murphy and his team for their leadership in assisting us with this significant expansion of our company.”

“We are thrilled that Freshly has decided to expand its operations in New Jersey,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “South Jersey is the perfect place for a leading provider of fresh, healthy prepared meals to open another facility. We have seen how important food delivery services have become during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we look forward to working with Freshly to support its growth, as well as bring new jobs to the region.”

The news comes on the heels of Freshly being acquired by Nestlé USA in October 2020, and a year of monumental growth for the company. In the past few months, the company opened new facilities in Commerce, California, and Austell, Georgia, to increase production and order fulfillment capacity. Currently, Freshly ships more than one million meals per week to customers in 48 states.

“Freshly is leading the way in delivering fresh meals directly to customers, and South Jersey is a hub for food and beverage innovation,” said Jose Lozano, President & CEO of Choose New Jersey. “New Jersey companies can reach 38 million consumers within a 2-hour drive, and with this new facility, Freshly is well-positioned to take advantage of everything our state has to offer. Choose New Jersey is excited that Freshly is opening up a second location in New Jersey, creating new jobs that will provide a major boost to the local and regional economy.”