It’s official: If you like fruit in your yogurt, ice cream or smoothies, fillings in your breakfast bars, or a little flavor in your morning coffee, those things will soon be made in Greenwood’s own backyard.
California Custom Fruits and Flavors, Inc. and Berry Good Holdings LLC will open a manufacturing facility by the end of the year in Greenwood, and the city council and redevelopment commission have approved a 10-year, $1.3 million tax break for both real and personal property.
The company will still owe about $1.5 million in property taxes during that time, according to its tax abatement application.
The company, which opened its doors in 1986, has one other facility at its headquarters in Irwindale, California. The Greenwood facility will allow the company to expand and reach more areas of the country easily, said James Fragnoli, the company’s chief financial officer.
The new facility will be located in the Greenwood Park at 65 South industrial park on Graham Road. It will be 65,000 square feet with the possibility of growing to 130,000 square feet.
It is expected to bring 18 jobs by next year that pay, on average, $17.90 an hour and offer benefits, Fragnoli said. Company leaders expect to have 24 employees by 2023, he said.
The company says it will invest $9.25 million in real estate improvements, and about $3 million in equipment.
The plan is to buy locally-sourced products for the Midwest operation, Fragnoli said.
Both the city council and redevelopment commission approved the abatement unanimously. The company plans to start construction in May. The 8.5 acres of land the company are purchasing were already zoned for industrial use.
