Niagara Bottling, one of the nation’s leading beverage manufacturers, plans to invest up to $160 million to establish a state-of-the-art production facility near Hammond.
The company will create 70 new direct jobs with an average annual salary of $55,000. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 100 new indirect jobs, for a total of 170 new jobs in the Southeast Region.
The new, highly automated facility will contain advanced equipment and technology that will increase production efficiency to allow the company to meet growing demand.
Louisiana was chosen over competing states and the Tangipahoa Parish facility will be Niagara’s first location in the state. Headquartered in Diamond Bar, California, Niagara supplies some of the largest beverage brands, retailers, grocers and convenience stores in the U.S. with a variety of beverages, including sparkling, vitamin and flavored waters, teas, sports drinks, ready-to-drink coffee, protein drinks, non-dairy milk products and bottled water. The company operates more than 40 production facilities with over 7,000 employees worldwide.
The company expects to begin construction on the 500,000 square-foot facility in the second quarter of 2023.
To secure the project, the State of Louisiana offered Niagara a competitive incentive package featuring the comprehensive solutions of LED FastStart, the nation’s No. 1 state workforce development program. The incentive package also includes a performance-based $750,000 award through the Economic Development Award Program to support site infrastructure improvements. In addition, the company is expected to participate in the Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
