Gov. Andy Beshear joined executives from T. Marzetti Co. and local officials to break ground on the company’s largest ever expansion, a 220-job, $133 million project to increase production of salad dressings, sauces and other foods for retail and foodservice markets.
Hart County Judge/Executive Joe Choate noted T. Marzetti Co.’s history of success in the community.
“Hart County has been a longtime partner with T. Marzetti Co.,” Choate said. “The magistrates and I are ecstatic about another wonderful planned expansion that will further the blessings on Hart County and all surrounding areas. Congratulations to T. Marzetti on another expansion of its company here in Hart County. We are so excited to see the continued growth of such as great community partner. This investment will continue to have a substantial regional impact, not just in our county, but all across south central Kentucky.
“I want to thank Gov. Beshear, Rocky Adkins and Jeff Taylor with the Cabinet for Economic Development for their commitment to this region and their presence here today," Choate added.
Marzetti originally announced the project in February 2020 as a $93 million, 140-job expansion. After last year’s pandemic put the project on pause, company leaders announced earlier this year their plans to not only move forward with the project, but increase its scope.
Today, the company broke ground on the 184,500-square-foot expansion, which will increase manufacturing space. The company plans to purchase new equipment to increase dressing and sauce production, add eight new processing kitchens and create several packaging lines to meet growing customer demand. The expansion is expected to be completed by July 2022. T. Marzetti currently employs more than 500 people at the facility.
Marzetti Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lancaster Colony Corp. headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is a manufacturer and marketer of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice markets. The company’s retail brands include Marzetti, New York Bakery, Sister Schubert’s, Reames, Flatout, Angelic Bakehouse and Bantam Bagels, in addition to exclusive license agreements for Olive Garden dressings, Chick-fil-A sauces and Buffalo Wild Wings sauces. The company’s foodservice business supplies many of the top restaurant chains in the United States. Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls are also produced locally at T. Marzetti’s Horse Cave facilities, adjacent to its Marzetti brand dips and dressings operation.
The past two decades, T. Marzetti has announced approximately $313 million in investment with the creation of more than 780 jobs in Hart County.
Marzetti is among the more than 350 food and beverage manufacturing, service and technology facilities located in Kentucky currently employing over 52,000 people. In 2020 alone, the industry announced 53 new location or expansion projects expected to create more than 1,500 full-time jobs with $974 million in announced investments.
Marzetti’s groundbreaking adds to a wave of recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger following the effects of the pandemic.
Earlier this month, Fitch Ratings improved the state’s financial outlook to stable, reflecting the commonwealth’s solid economic recovery. The state’s April sales tax receipts set an all-time monthly record at $486.5 million, as did vehicle usage tax receipts at over $64 million.
For more information on T. Marzetti Co. and Lancaster Colony, visit LancasterColony.com.
