Petaluma, California-headquartered Amy’s Kitchen, a manufacturer of value-added organic frozen food products, has broken ground for construction of a 389,000-square-foot specialty frozen food plant in Goshen, New York, which lies about 65 miles northwest of New York City. The $95 million project is expected to provide employment for as many as 680 people once the facility is up and running.
Amy’s Kitchen sources 69,000 tons of produce annually from organic farms to make a variety of sustainable organic and non-GMO frozen food and convenience items that are sold throughout the United States and 25 other countries around the world. The privately held, family-owned enterprise employs approximately 2,600 workers and makes more than 250 different organic products that run the gamut from frozen entrees, pizza, burritos, wraps, bowls and vegetable pot pies, to soups, beans, salsa and pasta sauce, cakes and cookies.
Founded in 1987 by Andy and Rachel Berliner and named after their daughter, the company has experienced steady growth since its inception and today generates revenues exceeding $500 million per annum. It currently operates factories in California (Santa Rosa), Oregon (Medford) and Idaho (Pocatello).
Economic Incentives
“Our open-for-business approach to economic development is attracting transformative investments from leading companies like Amy’s Kitchen because we have the locations, business climate and a workforce to help them succeed,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “As one of the largest development projects in the Mid-Hudson region in decades, this project will create hundreds of good jobs, boost the manufacturing industry and generate major economic opportunities for the local community.”
“We thrilled to be breaking ground in Goshen,” said CEO Andy Berliner. “Governor Cuomo and his team have been truly instrumental in helping us get to where we are today. It’s thanks to his partnership and guidance that we are one step closer to making our dream of opening a kitchen in New York a reality.”
In encouraging Amy’s Kitchen to establish its East Coast hub in Orange County, New York State has arranged for up to $6.8 million in performance-based incentives and a low-cost power allocation for the new facility. Empire State Development has offered as much as $5.8 million in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, which are tied directly to job creation and investment commitments, and a $1 million Jobs Now grant to support the project. Additionally, the New York Power Authority is providing a nearly 1.2 megawatt low-cost power allocation under the Governor’s ReCharge NY program, which provides qualifying businesses with lower energy costs in exchange for commitments to retain or create jobs in New York State.
