Columbia, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, and the Central S.C. Alliance today joined Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) in announcing that St. Matthews in Calhoun County, S.C., is the intended site of the company’s newest U.S. roasting facility. Construction on the approximately 150,000 square foot facility, which is approximately 15 miles from Columbia, will begin by the end of this year. Operations are planned to begin in early 2009. When operating at full capacity, the plant will create approximately 160 new full-time positions.
“Starbucks is pleased to further strengthen our ties to the South Carolina business community,” said Peter Gibbons, Starbucks senior vice president, manufacturing. “This new facility will help us meet increasing demand for our premium coffees and allows us to support our growth in the Southeast. We’re very proud to play a positive role in the development of Calhoun County through the creation of new jobs and opportunities.”
Starbucks chose the Calhoun County site based on several factors, including workforce availability, transportation access, quality of life, and strong support from local and state leaders.
"Today's announcement is further evidence that our efforts to improve the economic conditions for business growth are working to produce real results for more South Carolinians. Our ability to attract a world-class company to a rural area of our state speaks volumes to that. Also, given the size of this investment and the number of jobs that come along with it, this is a real win that will have a tremendous impact on the local economy for many years to come," said Gov. Mark Sanford.
The new Calhoun County facility will house equipment and operations to receive, roast, package, and ship Starbucks coffee to distribution centers servicing company-operated stores, licensed stores, and wholesale accounts around the Southeastern U.S.
“This investment presents significant opportunities for Calhoun County as a job creator while giving more industries reason to look to this area as a strategic location for distribution. Once again, our state’s business friendly climate, access to markets, quality workforce, and excellent infrastructure are opening new doors and working to grow our economy,” said Joe Taylor, South Carolina Secretary of Commerce. “Starbucks is a marquee company with an impressive growth history. They are a welcome addition to our ever-growing corporate community and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship in the years ahead.”
“Calhoun County Council welcomes Starbucks and their newest roasting plant. This is a world-class company that has extremely high environmental and corporate values. We are confident that Starbucks will find Calhoun County to exceed their expectations,” said David Summers, Chairman, Calhoun County Council.
Central S.C. Alliance Chairman George Bullwinkel, Jr. said, “Our team has worked diligently over the past five months on this project. Starbucks has realized tremendous growth and we are honored they have selected Calhoun County and the Central S.C. Region to assist with their success. Our region offers a host of unique advantages for manufacturing and distribution oriented companies. The Starbucks name adds to an impressive list of globally known consumer oriented companies that have selected the Central S.C. Region as home.”
The new Calhoun County facility will provide additional roasting and packaging capability to augment production from Starbucks four existing roasting plants. Starbucks other roasting plants are in Kent, Wash.; York, Penn.; and Carson Valley, Nev., and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
As of Q1 fiscal year 2007, Starbucks currently had approximately 50 company-operated and licensed retail locations in South Carolina with more than 2,200 stores in the Southeastern region of the U.S., including West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
You can find more information at www.starbucks.com.