Folks in New Albany, Ind., are rejoicing after Sazerac Co. said it plans to purchase a former Pillsbury refrigerated dough factory and turn it into a blending, bottling and distribution facility.
Sazerac expects to invest $66 million to redevelop the plant. It’s expected to employ 110 workers and operate several packaging lines. Exactly what products might be packaged there hasn’t been determined, they said.
Sazerac expects to close in the next few weeks, after more than $1 million in state and local tax incentives are approved, and to begin construction in June. The goal is a November opening with at least two packaging lines and 50 employees.
Wages and benefits at the facility are expected to average $24 an hour, they said.
Jeff Conder, Sazerac’s vice president of manufacturing, said the facility is “right in the heart of all our operations.” It will allow the company to extend its manufacturing footprint.
Sazerac has several spirit manufacturing facilities in North America with 11 plants and nearly 2,000 employees in Maine, New Hampshire, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, California, Kentucky and Montreal. The New Albany facility will be the company’s first in Indiana.
The Pillsbury facility was closed two years ago, costing 400 jobs in the Southern Indiana city.