The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development joined with company officials to announce that AGRANA Fruit US, Inc. will expand its Centerville facility. This announcement represents an investment of approximately $10 million and will create 64 new positions at the Hickman County plant.
“Congratulations to AGRANA and the town of Centerville on this announcement,” Allen Borden, ECD assistant commissioner, statewide operations, said. “Under Gov. Haslam’s leadership, our state has earned a business friendly reputation that encourages companies like AGRANA to grow and invest. We are thankful for the continued opportunities AGRANA is providing for Tennesseans.”
AGRANA Fruit US, Inc. is a member of AGRANA Fruit, the world leader in fruit preparations for the dairy industry. The Centerville expansion will include the addition of new production lines and the 64 new positions will be in all areas of the facility to support the anticipated growth.
“The North American Yogurt industry has seen explosive growth in the past five years. This trend is expected to continue and is driving the need for significant expansion in our business,” Bob Prendes, president and CEO of AGRANA Fruit US, Inc., said. “Our plant in Centerville, Tenn. has played a key role in the success of AGRANA Fruit US Operations. We are grateful for the continued support shown by both state and local officials and are pleased to be able to continue and expand our partnership with this great community.”
"As a small rural community, we are blessed to have an international company like Agrana in our community,” Centerville Mayor Bob Bohn said. “They produce a world class product and this announcement is welcome news for our town. We appreciate the company's continued growth in Centerville."
“By enabling the Town of Centerville to expand and upgrade their waste water treatment operation, AGRANA, one of our community’s major employers, will now have a chance to expand their production lines thus yielding 60-plus new jobs for our growing economic base,” Hickman County Mayor Steve Gregory said. “Hickman County is pleased to have been a part of this joint effort with the Town of Centerville, the State of Tennessee and other partners to promote industrial growth and development and to assist in securing a brighter future for our hard working citizens. We will continue to be on the lookout for additional opportunities to work together again on mutually beneficial projects that produce job growth.”
The company also worked with the Hickman County Economic Development Association and the South Central Tennessee Development District on the expansion.
AGRANA Fruit US, Inc. will work with the Tennessee Career Center to staff job openings at the Centerville facility. Interested applicants should visit or contact their local career center. Additionally, a job fair will be held at the Hickman County Career Center on Thursday, Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. and on Friday, Oct. 12 from 3 -7 p.m.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tn.gov/ecd. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.
About AGRANA
AGRANA is the leading sugar manufacturer in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, major manufacturer of custom starch products in Europe and largest producer of bioethanol in Austria and Hungary. In its fruit segment, AGRANA is the world market leader in the production of fruit preparations as well as one of the largest manufacturers of fruit juice concentrates in Europe. In its 2011|2012 business year, AGRANA recorded revenues of approximately EUR 2.5 billion. AGRANA employs around 8,000 personnel at 56 facilities in 26 countries around the world. Corporate headquarters for the AGRANA Fruit US Division is located in Brecksville, Ohio with additional manufacturing plants in Botkins, Ohio and Fort Worth, Texas.