Sargento is looking to expand its production in the northeastern region of Wisconsin with an additional 80,000 square feet for its Kiel-based facility and 59,000 square feet more to its Elkhart Lake-based technical center.
“My grandfather and father built Sargento from a small cheese gift shop into the $1.3 billion national company it is today, thanks to the dedication and hard work of our employees over the past 62 years,” Louie Gentine, CEO and third generation of one of the Sargento founding families, told Area Development. “We are committed to growth in this area that will benefit the entire Sargento family of employees and all of our other stakeholders—suppliers, customers and community.”
The company is investing about $30 million into the growth spurt, according to the report, with an eligible tax credit of up to $735,000 from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
“WEDC is pleased to be able to assist an iconic family-owned company like Sargento Foods with this expansion project, and we salute the company for its continued commitment to growing in Wisconsin,” Reed Hall, CEO and Secretary of the economic development organization WEDC, said, according to Area Development. “Wisconsin is the number one cheese-producing state in the country with an annual production of nearly 2.8 billion pounds, and this expansion will further solidify our strength in this key industry.”
The project is reported to include additional space for production and storage, as well as a health and wellness center for employees, with the ability to accommodate upwards of 720 employees over the next five years.
