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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Coffee Manufacturer Socafe Relocates to Dunmore Borough, Pennsylvania

08/04/2017
Socafe, a coffee manufacturer and distributor, will relocate and expand its operations and create 130 new jobs in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The company will purchase an existing 116,000-square-foot building in Dunmore Borough to relocate its headquarters and manufacturing operations from Newark, New Jersey.

This facility offers an additional 85,000 sq. ft. of capacity and enables the company to streamline its operations. The company has committed to investing at least $2,471,000 into the project and has committed to create 130 new jobs over three years.

“Socafe is incredibly excited to be relocating to Pennsylvania,” said Joseph Fernandes III, vice president of Socafe. “More importantly, we are excited about becoming part of the Greater Scranton community. Leaving our roots in Newark is bittersweet, it has been home to our company for 30 years, but we are more than ready to create a new home for our continually growing business in the greater Scranton area. Given both state and local pro-business governmental philosophies and the available work force, we are confident this is not only going to be a positive move for our business, but also for the residents of Lackawanna County and the surrounding area.”

As an incentive, Socafe received a funding proposal from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development that includes a $130,000 Pennsylvania First grant, an $18,000 WEDnet grant for employee training, and $130,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits to be issued after the new jobs are created.

The project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team in collaboration with Lackawanna County Department of Planning and Economic Development and the Scranton Plan, the economic development affiliate of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.

“Pennsylvania welcomes Socafe as yet another example of a successful manufacturing company that realizes the positive impact of doing business in the commonwealth,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “With access to a skilled workforce, extensive infrastructure and committed state and local partners, manufacturers and distributers like Socafe can thrive here.”

“Truly effective economic development takes a community effort in creating a value proposition for Socafe to locate here,” said George Kelly, Lackawanna County Director of Planning and Economic Development. “The Governor’s Action Team, the Scranton Plan, Lackawanna County and the Redevelopment Authority all have contributed and worked closely together to welcome Socafe. There is still a lot of work to be done, and we look forward to working with Socafe as the company grows and enjoys success in Pennsylvania.”

“This is an important economic development project for several reasons,” said Bob Durkin, president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. “Socafe will create 130 quality jobs in our area, it will adaptively reuse an iconic historic property, and it will demonstrate to other prospects that our region is a great place to establish and grow a cutting-edge business.”

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