Nestlé Waters is considering building a $50 million bottling facility in Centre County, Pennsylvania, as it responds to growing consumer demand for bottled water.
As part of the company’s regional spring water model, the proposed factory would bottle Deer Park water for distribution to customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Last year, water surpassed soda as the most popular beverage in the US.
Nestlé Waters has worked together with the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County (CBICC) and Centre County Industrial Development Corporation (CCIDC) to identify Centre County as a potential location for its third Pennsylvania bottling facility. The site would create an estimated 50 jobs.
In an effort to narrow the search for a factory location, CBICC leadership and Nestlé Waters representatives are in the process of meeting with municipal officials to gauge interest and feasibility.
In early 2018, CBICC and Nestlé Waters will hold an informational open house on the possibility of building a bottled water plant in the county. Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions about the company, the potential project and possible job opportunities.
Eric Andreus, Nestlé Waters natural resource manager in the Mid-Atlantic, said: “In order to build in a new bottling facility, we need to work closely with the community. We want to know that we are choosing the right location to operate – environmentally, socially, and economically.”
CBICC CEO Vern Squier added: “A Nestlé Waters bottling facility would inject tens of millions of dollars into our local economy, provide a substantial tax benefit, and bring family-wage manufacturing jobs back to our communities.
“The opportunity to bring a global leader in the food and beverage industry into Centre County is a win win win for our workforce, our tax base, and for economic development. We are pleased that our local efforts are helping to advance this project, and we are excited about the prospects of having Nestlé Waters North America as a corporate citizen of Centre County.”
Nestlé Waters has been operating in Pennsylvania for more than 20 years. The company has made capital investments of more than $350 million in its Breinigsville campus. Last year it announced a $79 million investment of the facility, adding three high-speed bottling lines for its bottled water brands.
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