In a juicy new business locate for the Lehigh Valley, Ocean Spray, the multi-billion-dollar beverage giant, is building a new, $110 million bottling plant on 44 acres in Upper Macungie Township, bringing with it 165 jobs.
The company's first manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania is expected to turn out over 32 million cases of juice beverages when it opens in the fall of 2013.
“The State of Pennsylvania, Lehigh County and Upper Macungie Township have been very collaborative and welcomed us with open arms,” says John Isaf, an Ocean Spray spokesperson. “Industrial parks in the Upper Macungie area are high-tech and state-of-the-art – so the area has the right mix of infrastructure, training opportunities and facilities that made it attractive for Ocean Spray to relocate. Additionally, being so close to some of our business and supply chain partners in the area will help us lower our distribution and freight costs.”
Economic development officials made an all-hands-on-deck effort to lure Ocean Spray from New Jersey, where the company had a longstanding manufacturing facility. The Governor's Action Team, the Team Pennsylvania Foundation and the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation all worked on the project.
Ocean Spray is a cooperative comprised of more than 700 grower-owners in the US and Canada. Three cranberry growers from Massachusetts formed the company over 80 years ago.
Source: John Isaf, Ocean Spray; Team PA
Writer: Elise Vider