FRANKFORT, Ky. — Highlighting news within the state’s food manufacturing sector, Mizkan America, an industry-leading producer of pasta sauce and vinegar products, announced plans to expand its facility in Owensboro with a $156 million investment creating 44 new Kentucky jobs.
“Kentucky’s manufacturing sector has always played a key role throughout the commonwealth, and the tremendous growth we are seeing within the industry is critical to our surging economy,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “Companies like Mizkan America continue to believe and invest in the commonwealth and its communities, offering quality jobs and opportunities for Kentuckians to provide for themselves and their families. I want to thank the company, as well as local and state officials who helped bring this investment to the Owensboro community, and I look forward to Mizkan’s continued success here in Kentucky.”
Mizkan America is based in Mount Prospect, Illinois, and is one of the leading makers of pasta sauce and vinegar products in the United States. Mizkan America maintains 12 manufacturing facilities that serve the retail, foodservice, specialty Asian and food ingredient trade channels. Mizkan America brands include Ragú, Bertolli, Holland House, Nakano and Mizkan. Mizkan America is also the exclusive distributor for Angostura Bitters in North America.
The project will see the company expand its Owensboro facilities by approximately 320,000 s.f., bringing its total operational space to over 970,000 s.f. The additional space will allow for building improvements, new machinery and equipment, IT upgrades and related assets that will help Mizkan best meet the current and future needs of its customers while maintaining its position as a market leader.
“This project, which is in its design phase and will move to board approval early next year, would become a transformational project for Mizkan America,” said Koichi Yuki, CEO of Mizkan America Inc. “This new project would involve a substantial investment and demonstrates our strong commitment to fulfilling the needs of our customers in alignment with Mizkan’s two principles: to offer customers only the finest products and to continuously challenge the status quo. We are extremely grateful to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for being such supportive partners in this venture.”
The Mizkan Group is a privately held, international food manufacturer, headquartered in Handa City, Japan, with a heritage that spans more than 200 years. It is women-owned and operated, currently by members of the eighth and ninth generations of the founding Nakano family. The Mizkan Group offers a lineup of well-known international brands under the Mizkan umbrella and is a leader in the liquid condiment category, with major operations in Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Mizkan prides itself on top quality products. To have them select Owensboro/Daviess County for this $156 million investment, and more importantly, the addition of over 40 employees to their global workforce, is a win and shows Mizkan’s long-term commitment to our community,” Daviess County Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen said. “It is a recognition of the quality of employees that our citizens are known to be.”
Claude Bacon, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp., spoke to the company’s impact on the local economy.
“Working on this project with Mizkan over the last nine months has been a pleasure,” Bacon said. “Mizkan’s operation in Greater Owensboro is significant to our economy, and this expansion project helps solidify the company’s presence here for the long term. We are excited they chose Owensboro for this expansion and look forward to the next steps in making it a reality.”
