Alamance Foods, Inc., a manufacturer of a variety of consumer food products, will invest $42 million to expand its North Carolina operations in Alamance County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will create 135 jobs in Graham.

"Today, companies have many locations to choose from when considering an expansion, but North Carolina’s competitive advantages always shine through,” said Governor Cooper. “It’s great to see a home-grown company like Alamance Foods expand in our state, thanks to our roads, airports, rail and ports, our strong communities and our dedicated, well trained workforce.”

Alamance Foods (AFI), with headquarters in Burlington, started from humble North Carolina roots more than 100 years ago when R.W. Scott began selling the extra cream and butter that he churned primarily for his family. In 1927, his son Ralph H. Scott expanded the business and established Melville Dairy, which in 1959 became one of the first producers in the United States for a revolutionary new product at the time, aerosol whipped cream. The company later expanded its product line to include flavored drinks, freeze pops, and bottled water. The company’s project in Graham will expand warehousing and production facilities for its aerosol whipped cream product line.

Although wages for the new jobs will vary depending on position, the average salary will be $47,063, which is above the current average wage in Alamance County of $46,999. The state and local area will see an additional impact of more than $6 million each year from the new payroll.

"North Carolina leads the Southeast in manufacturing excellence,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “We welcome the vote of confidence Alamance Foods’ expansion represents, and their company can depend on the strength and ingenuity of the North Carolina workforce to take them to the next stage of their growth.”

Alamance Food’s project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of 12 years, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $651 million. Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $611,100, spread over 12 years. Payments for all JDIGs only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

Because AFI chose a site in Alamance County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 2, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving $67,000 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities across the state finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business.

“Alamance Foods’ long history in our region is a point of pride and we’re very pleased to see this latest expansion of the company,” said N.C. Senator Amy Galey. “These new jobs and the capital investment will bring many benefits to both our people and the local economy overall.”

“I’m proud of the many local and regional economic development partners that made today’s announcement possible,” said N.C. Representative Ricky Hurtado. “AFI’s choice to expand in Alamance County demonstrates once again our community’s commitment to be a strong partner to business."

In addition to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C., other key partners on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Alamance County, the City of Burlington and the Alamance Chamber.