Kentwood-based snack maker SnackCraft plans to add up to 37 new jobs and invest up to $30 million to expand its manufacturing, warehousing and distribution building to meet increasing demand. The expansion is aided with a $400,000 grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund.
The company, a subsidiary of Greece-based Unismack, is making a 186,000-square-foot expansion of its building in Kentwood. Additional storage space and 16 loading docks included in the expansion are expected to reduce third-party warehousing and logistics costs, according to a memo from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
SnackCraft, a gluten-free, allergen-controlled manufacturer of baked and salty snack foods, produces snack that other companies sell under their own name, throughout the U.S. The company, which employs 70 people, opened its Kentwood facility, which serves as its U.S. headquarters, in 2022.
“The expansion demonstrates our commitment to the area and enables the future growth potential for both existing and new customer opportunities, as well as securing SnackCraft’s long-term food manufacturing platform,” Joseph Riley, CEO of SnackCraft, said in a statement.
The MEDC said the $400,000 state grant was needed to ensure that SnackCraft would expand in Kentwood rather than elsewhere in the U.S. The company is experiencing growing demand from customers on the East Coast, and Sullivan County in New York was considered as a site for the expansion, the MEDC said.