SUFFOLK, Va. – Craft coffee brand Peet’s Coffee will invest $58 million to establish an East Coast manufacturing facility in Suffolk, Governor Terry McAuliffe announced Friday.
SEAL BEACH, CA – JULY 23: Signage hangs above a Peet’s Coffee and Tea store on July 23, 2012 in Seal Beach, California.(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
The company will build a 175,000-square foot Roastery to produce a variety of coffee.
“Peet’s Coffee’s decision to locate its East Coast manufacturing operation in Virginia is a true testament to the welcoming climate our Commonwealth offers businesses from every sector,” said Governor McAuliffe.
The new facility will create 135 new jobs in the City of Suffolk.
“The strategic decision by Peet’s Coffee to expand into Virginia is a great win for the company, the City of Suffolk, and the entire Hampton Roads region” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd Haymore. “With the Port of Virginia being one of just two ports on the East Coast that has received ICE certification as an exchange port for coffee imports, Virginia is in a prime position to help Peet’s Coffee quickly distribute its product to more than half of the U.S. population. I know that Peet’s will be a tremendous corporate asset to Suffolk and Virginia, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”
Peet’s Coffee was originally founded in 1966 by Alfred Peet in Berkeley, California. The new East Coast Roastery is the company’s first outside of their LEED Gold certified location in Alameda, California.
“Suffolk is the perfect location to support our high-quality standards while ensuring that the freshest beans are made available to our east coast consumers much more quickly than today,” says Dave Burwick, CEO.
Virginia successfully competed against five other Mid-Atlantic states for the project.
