Food industry redistributor Dot Foods, Inc. will expand operations and establish a new distribution facility at Manchester Industrial Park in Manchester, Tennessee. The $50.5 million project is expected to create 171 jobs.

The 177,000-square-foot facility in Coffee County will be the company’s second distribution center in Tennessee, a Select Tennessee Certified Site. The site will function similarly to Dot Foods’ operations in Dyersburg, and will include dry, refrigerated and frozen warehouse space. Dot Foods anticipates breaking ground on its new distribution center late this summer, with operations expected to begin in late 2023.

“Tennessee has a lot to offer businesses like ours. Dot Foods first called Tennessee home in the 1980s and early 1990s, and we’ve loved being back in the state since the 2015 opening of our Dyersburg facility. We are very excited to establish a second Tennessee location in Manchester. The most critical factor in continuing our business’ history of growth is talent. We know Coffee County and the surrounding region have a lot of it to offer. We look forward to joining this community and growing our Dot Foods and Dot Transportation family,” Joe Tracy, CEO, Dot Foods, Inc. said.

The facility will also have the capacity to expand its square footage in order to meet Dot Foods’ growing customer demand among the southeastern U.S.

“Tennessee is uniquely positioned to provide companies with easy access to their markets around the globe. We thank Dot Foods for locating another food distribution center in Tennessee and are confident that Manchester and Coffee County will support this company’s future success,” noted TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe.

Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Mt. Sterling, Illinois, Dot Foods is North America’s largest food industry redistributor, serving all 50 states and more than 55 countries with a product offering of more than 125,000 items. Today, the family-owned and -operated business employs more than 6,300 across North America.