A family-owned California company that produces natural and organic convenience foods plans to join the Hudson Valley”™s agribusiness sector with the development of a $90 million, 350,000-square-foot organic food manufacturing plant in the town of Goshen in Orange County.
Amy”™s Kitchen, based in Santa Rosa, Calif., has closed on the purchase of a 200-acre site between Echo Lake Road and Route 17M in Goshen for the project, officials at Empire State Development and the Orange County Partnership announced Tuesday. The manufacturing operation will create nearly 700 permanent jobs and hundreds of construction jobs over the next two years.
The privately held company plans to break ground on the project in late 2014 or early 2015 and expects to have the plant in operation by the end of 2016, state officials said.
Amy”™s Kitchen stands to receive a financial incentives package from the state and county, including up to $6.8 million from Empire State Development Corp. in the form of a capital grant and Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits tied directly to the company”™s investment and commitment to create 681 jobs. The Orange County Industrial Development Agency has approved a $4.5-million property tax abatement over 15 years, $420,000 in mortgage tax exemptions and $6.5 million in sales and use tax exemptions on construction purchases.
The county IDA also awarded $500,000 for required infrastructure improvements. Empire State Development has awarded $800,000 to aid in construction of a $1.7-million access road. Amy”™s Kitchen will fund the remaining cost of infrastructure improvements at the site.
Founded 25 years ago by Andy and Rachel Berliner and named after their daughter, Amy”™s Kitchen has experienced double-digit growth every year since its start, according to state officials. The food company employs 1,900 workers and makes more than 250 organic products, including a popular international line of frozen organic entrees, pizzas, burritos, wraps and bowls.
“We are so excited about the opportunity to build a plant in Goshen,” Amy”™s Kitchen owner Andy Berliner said in the Tuesday announcement. “Geographically it”™s in the perfect spot to supply our largest customers. The potential to source so many of our agricultural ingredients close to the plant was another important factor in our decision. We also believe it”™s a great area to attract excellent employees. The site we”™ve chosen is beautiful and situated on the Wallkill River.”
Empire State Development president and CEO Kenneth Adams in the announcement said the Hudson Valley, with its strong workforce and proximity to major metropolitan areas, “will open up the northeast markets for this large-scale manufacturer.” Adams thanked the state”™s economic development partners in Orange County “for their hard work in bringing Amy’s Kitchen to the Empire State.”
Maureen Halahan, president of the Orange County Partnership, a private, nonprofit economic development agency in Goshen, said the selection of the Hudson Valley site by Amy”™s Kitchen owners over competing properties in other states is “a major coup for Orange County.”
Halahan said the development deal bolsters the emerging agribusiness sector in Orange County, in which a total of approximately $150 million has been invested in the last year and more than 1,000 new jobs have been created.
Empire State Development, the Orange County IDA and the Orange County Partnership worked on the deal with the Orange County executive”™s office, Hudson Valley Economic Development Corp. and other county and municipal agencies.
I think this is great. They have awesome products and there’s no reason why the Hudson Valley cannot increase its agricultural business.
But when I read these stories I am also reminded about how it expensive it is to do business in NY. We have to legally bribe businesses to set up shop here. While I am all for business development, where are the tax cuts for the people who live here?
NY has very high taxes, from income to property. If we cut taxes here and unleashed entrepreneurship we would not have so many unemployed. $150 million invested is a lot of money for only 1,000 jobs. It’s one thing if it’s all private sector money. Using the IDA puts the tax payer on the hook for that.