Stormberg Foods, LLC., a producer of meat protein snacks, will locate its first United States production facility in Wayne County, creating 60 jobs over three years, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company plans to invest $2.48 million in Goldsboro.
“North Carolina works hard to attract international companies, and they quickly come to appreciate both our friendly business climate and our warm and welcoming people,” Governor Cooper said. “These new jobs are especially welcome as Wayne County works to recover from the damage of Hurricane Matthew.”
Stormberg Foods, LLC is a new venture in the United States for a market-leading South African company based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The company’s mainstay product is a meat-based snack similar to beef jerky, known as biltong. The treat is an all-natural, gluten-free snack with no added sugar. The company distributes its products under several popular brand names.
“Stormberg Foods is the latest international manufacturer to decide North Carolina is the ideal base to reach North American markets,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland. “We welcome them to our state.”
N.C. Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. were instrumental in supporting the company’s location search and final decision.
The new positions in Wayne County will provide a payroll impact of nearly $1.9 million each year to the local economy.
“North Carolina offers several compelling factors that made our decision relatively simple,” said Gary Moorcroft, CEO for Stormberg Foods. “The state’s central location on the east coast provides easy access to markets, a major plus for us. We found the cost of establishing production facilities to be very reasonable. Add a stable labor force, with agricultural processing experience too. The support from the state, city, county and other agencies has been very impressive. These folk simply cannot do enough for you! We are certain we have made an excellent choice in Wayne County and the state of North Carolina.”
A performance-based grant of $125,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate Stormberg Foods’ location to Wayne County. 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 a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
“International firms have many choices when they start a new operation in the United States,” said N.C. Senator Don Davis. “It’s great news that Stormberg Foods selected Wayne County and we look forward to many years of success for their company and our region.”
In addition to North Carolina Commerce and the Economic Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, NCEast Alliance, Wayne County, the City of Goldsboro, and the Wayne County Development Alliance.