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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Wow Bao Plans Forest City, North Carolina, Manufacturing Operations

04/19/2025
Asian street food company Wow Bao plans to establish manufacturing operations in Forest City, North Carolina. The $6.45 million project is expected to create 88 jobs in Rutherford County.

“Wow Bao is thrilled to bring our operations to Forest City,” said Matt Fallon, CFO of Wow Bao. “With a world-class workforce and vibrant food and beverage industry, it became clear that Forest City and the State of North Carolina were the perfect home for this exciting phase of Wow Bao’s expansion. We are excited to begin cooking up America’s Number One Bao in Forest City and shipping it out to the rest of the country. We’re grateful for the support of Governor Stein, and our many partners throughout North Carolina, and we look forward to joining the community and catapulting this great brand forward.”

To support the project a performance-based grant of $180,000 from the One North Carolina Fund was awarded. The OneNC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All OneNC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.

“With the largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast and the fourth largest food and beverage industry in the country, North Carolina is the ideal place for companies like Wow Bao to thrive,” noted N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. “Our economic development teams at the state, regional, and local level will continue to provide strong support as the company expands their cutting-edge business.”

Wow Bao’s menu includes bao (steamed buns), potstickers, and soup dumplings. The company offers high-quality snacks in restaurants, airport locations, Delivery Only kitchens and grocery stores, nationwide.

In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), other partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, Commerce’s Division of Workforce Solutions, North Carolina Community College System, Isothermal Community College, Rutherford County, and the Town of Forest City.

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