Richmond - Governor Jim Gilmore today announced that Sara Lee Coffee & Tea will invest $93 million and create more than 100 new jobs by expanding its coffee roasting and packaging facility in Suffolk. The expansion will implement the latest technology to produce Douwe Egberts, a new liquid coffee. Virginia successfully competed with Texas for this investment.
"My administration is always pleased to assist a Virginia company in meeting their expansion needs," said Governor Gilmore. "This announcement increases Sara Lee's investment in Virginia's Hampton Roads region and creates more jobs. Sara Lee Coffee & Tea's expansion will have a great ripple effect throughout the regional economy."
Governor Gilmore approved a $500,000 grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership (VIP) program to assist Sara Lee Coffee & Tea with the expansion. The VIP program is designed to offer financial assistance to existing Virginia companies. The Governor also approved a $200,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist Suffolk with site preparation. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the City of Suffolk assisted Sara Lee Coffee & Tea with its decision. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide workforce training services.
Sara Lee Coffee & Tea North America, headquartered in Itasca, Ill., is a division of Chicago-based Sara Lee Corporation, which manufactures and markets several leading coffee brands, including Hills Bros., Chock full o'Nuts, MJB and Chase & Sanborn. Sara Lee Coffee & Tea's Suffolk facility of 320,000 square feet currently employs more than 200 people and produces roast and ground coffee for all four of the company's retail brands.
"Sara Lee Coffee & Tea is committed to investing in its great coffee, and the development of this new, state-of-the-art liquid coffee plant will help ensure we achieve our goals," said Stan Greanias, chief executive officer of Sara Lee Coffee & Tea North America and vice president of Sara Lee Corporation. "We are confident we will enjoy continued success thanks to the proven dedication of our Suffolk plant employees, Virginia's business-friendly environment and our ideal location near the Port of Virginia at Hampton Roads."
"Virginia enjoys being home to companies employing cutting edge technology in a variety of industry sectors," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry E. DuVal. "Sara Lee Coffee & Tea is a successful model of how Virginia fuses new and innovative technology with existing industries, including the food manufacturing sector."