Today Garner Foods, makers of Texas Pete and Green Mountain Gringo products, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony and press conference on the site of their future facility expansion in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
The event was opened with a brief thank you and introduction by Ann Garner Riddle, Garner Foods’ CEO, and members of the Garner Foods executive team. Attendees included government and economic development officials, business partners, members of the press, and friends and family.
“We are very excited about this much needed expansion to our company’s capacity,” explains Ann. “We’ve been very grateful for the support and leadership so many within our region have extended to us to help make this project a reality.”
The new facility will be located in Forsyth County, minutes from the Winston Salem airport on a 31 acres lot of undeveloped land. The property will provide room for the “phase 1” facility construction and adequate room for future planned expansions. The first project will be the construction of a new warehouse facility that will provide a substantial expansion of space for Garner Foods’ products to help the company meet the growing demand for their products.
“Today’s groundbreaking event is something I’ve looked forward to being a part of,” states Allen Joines, Mayor of Winston Salem. “Garner Foods has always been an excellent partner for our city, and their commitment to continue to grow their business here in Winston Salem is something we are excited to celebrate with them.”
The phase 1 facility will provide a 65% increase in usable warehouse space. The expansion in warehouse has become a critical need for Garner Foods as they continue to expand their product customer base in both the foodservice and retail customer markets.
“We spent nearly four years trying to find an existing facility that would meet our needs, but nothing could be found,” says Heyward Garner, COO for Garner Foods. “So, we moved to a plan to seek out a potential green field property with the space that allows us to continue to expand in the future as we continue to grow. We were very happy to find such a prime property that allows us to continue to succeed and grow with our hometown area.”
The current plan is to be able to complete and move into the new phase 1 warehouse facility by May of 2022.