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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Mizkan America Expands Owensboro, Kentucky, Operations

07/31/2024
Mizkan America, a producer of pasta sauce and vinegar products, plans to expand its operations in Owensboro, Kentucky. The $156 million project is expected to create 44 jobs.

The investment will include a 320,000 square foot expansion of the company’s existing facilities which will allow for building improvements, new machinery and equipment, IT upgrades and related assets.

“This project, which is in its design phase and will move to board approval early next year, would become a transformational project for Mizkan America,” said Koichi Yuki, CEO of Mizkan America Inc. “This new project would involve a substantial investment and demonstrates our strong commitment to fulfilling the needs of our customers in alignment with Mizkan’s two principles: to offer customers only the finest products and to continuously challenge the status quo. We are very excited about the opportunity this will afford MA to grow our business and allow us to better serve our customers. Likewise, we are extremely grateful to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for being such supportive partners in this venture.”

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $950,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $156 million and annual targets of: creation and maintenance of 44 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and paying an average hourly wage of more than $29 including benefits across those jobs.

Additionally, KEDFA approved Mizkan America for up to $1 million in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act, which allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.

“Kentucky’s manufacturing sector has always played a key role throughout the commonwealth, and the tremendous growth we are seeing within the industry is critical to our surging economy,” noted Governor Andy Beshear. “Companies like Mizkan America continue to believe and invest in the commonwealth and its communities, offering quality jobs and opportunities for Kentuckians to provide for themselves and their families. I want to thank the company, as well as local and state officials who helped bring this investment to the Owensboro community, and I look forward to Mizkan’s continued success here in Kentucky.”

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Mizkan America can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.

“Working on this project with Mizkan over the last nine months has been a pleasure,” added Claude Bacon, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation. “Mizkan’s operation in Greater Owensboro is significant to our economy and this expansion project helps solidify the company’s presence here for the long term. We are excited they chose Owensboro for this expansion and look forward to the next steps in making it a reality. The expansion project represents not only a significant investment in our infrastructure but also a commitment to the economic vitality of our community. By creating new jobs, attracting businesses and fostering innovation, this project will pave the way for sustained growth and prosperity for all residents.”

Mizkan America brands include Ragú, Bertolli, Holland House, Nakano and Mizkan. The company is also the exclusive distributor for Angostura Bitters in North America. The company currently operates 12 manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

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