Danone North America will begin a $65 million expansion by the end of this year at its 115,000-sq-ft Jacksonville, Fla., manufacturing site, which it acquired in 2017 when the company bought The WhiteWave Foods Co. for $12.5 billion. Reportedly, the project will include an expenditure of $55 million on a build-out of the existing facility and the installation of new equipment, plus $10 million in utility upgrades.
The expansion will increase production of several of Danone’s coffee and creamer brands in the U.S., including International Delight, Silk, and SToK. It also will help meet consumer demand in these categories while supporting the company’s sustainability goal by reducing overall water consumption, decreasing carbon emissions, enabling flexibility in bottle design, and accelerating the company’s goal of packaging circularity. The project is expected to be complete some time next summer.
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“This investment in our North American business will allow us to capitalize on consumer demand in key beverage categories including coffee creamers, plant-based creamers, and ready-to-drink coffee, while also supporting our long-term growth agenda,” says Group Deputy CEO, CEO Americas Shane Grant. “This investment will help us keep our products on our customers’ shelves and give more American consumers the Danone products they love.”
“We are thrilled to be investing in the people and economy of Jacksonville, creating 40 new jobs in addition to supporting our approximately 110 existing employees, all with competitive wages and benefits,” says Mike Sloboda, Danone North America chief operations officer. “This investment will allow us to better serve our customers and operate our business in an even more efficient and sustainable way.”
