Meel Corp., a Miami, Florida-headquartered company that specializes in the sourcing, processing, sales and marketing of frozen fruits, vegetables and convenience products, is investing $5.7 million to relocate a production facility to Oxford, North Carolina.
“We are glad to welcome them to our state, which has the best business climate, the hardest working employees, the agricultural legacy, the central east coast location and the great quality of life that will make this company successful here,” said Governor Roy Cooper.
The family-owned enterprise has supplied both brand name and private label products to customers for more than 40 years. Its expansion to North Carolina will include a state-of-the-art packing and cold storage facility that will source produce from North Carolina as well as other locations in the Americas and elsewhere.
“We’re beyond excited about our move to North Carolina. With the supply chain plagues and labor issues that surfaced after Covid, North Carolina represents an ideal geographical location for us – bringing us closer to our national customers and their delivery points,” said Michael Iaslovits, president of Meel Corp.
Up to 24 new jobs are expected to be created. While wages will vary by position, the average annual salary for all new employees is $48,500 and will result in a potential payroll impact of nearly $1.2 million per year. Granville County’s average annual salary is $42,326.
“North Carolina is a national leader in food and beverage processing,” said Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “Meel’s decision proves that the state has a winning recipe for success – a strong supply chain, transportation infrastructure, and a diverse pipeline of talent, that we’re committed to further developing.”
A performance-based grant of $50,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate Meel’s relocation. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
Meel’s frozen convenience product portfolio including side dishes, soups, smoothies and complete meals. The company serves multiple channels including retail and club stores, as well as foodservice operators. It packs and sells under its own labels (Tropicland, Farmers Value and Havest Collection), co-packs for third parties and provides full scope of services for customers’ private label programs. The business is now in its 27th year of operation and has sustained consistent year-over-year growth across all channels.
