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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Liberation Labs Establishes Richmond, Indiana, Biomanufacturing Facility

01/25/2023
Liberation Labs, a precision fermentation manufacturer, plans to establish its first commercial-scale biomanufacturing facility in Richmond, Indiana. The $115 million project is expected to create 45 jobs.

The company will construct a new facility on 36 acres at the Midwest Industrial Park. The investment will help meet demand for alternative proteins, increasing its availability and cost-effectiveness for existing major food brands as well as the growing network of food-tech innovators. Full commercial production is scheduled for the end of 2024.

“The three things a biomanufacturing facility like ours needs are sugar, power and people, and Richmond, Indiana, has them all,” said Mark Warner, co-founder and CEO of Liberation Labs. “While sugar and power are commodities, a workforce experienced in manufacturing is not, which is why Richmond really stands out. We are thankful for the support the state and the local community have provided us, and we can’t wait to break ground.”

Based on the company’s job creation plans, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) committed an investment in Liberation Labs of up to $780,000 in the form of incentive-based tax credits and up to $50,000 in training grants. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired and trained. Wayne County will consider additional incentives at the request of Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County.

“Next generation technology is critical to future food security for people everywhere, and I am proud that Indiana is leading the charge,” noted Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers. “We are excited to welcome Liberation Labs to our growing agbiosciences ecosystem. Liberation Labs will continue to enable companies to innovate while creating high-paying, quality career opportunities for Hoosiers.”

Liberation Labs said its first-of-its-kind precision fermentation facilities are engineered to deliver cost-effective, high-yield production of novel proteins and accelerate consumer adoption of healthy food alternatives. The company aims to build a network of purpose-built facilities to accommodate 80 percent or more of the alternative protein market, delivering a global solution to unlock a new era of food accessibility and sustainability.

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