ISLE OF WIGHT -- Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. is coming to Isle of Wight County.
Gov. Bob McDonnell said Friday that the company, a leader in specialty coffee and coffeemakers, will establish a production and distribution facility in Windsor. It will invest $180 million over the first five-years of operations.
The company has agreed to purchase a 330,000-square-foot building on a 64-acre parcel of land in the Shirley T. Holland Intermodal Park in Windsor to house coffee roasting, grinding, flavoring, and packaging of its single-serve portion packs for its Keurig® Single-Cup Brewing System.
Within five years, it is estimated the new facility will have as many as 800 employees. Average salaries will be $40,000 a year. Green Mountain Coffee plans to invest $180 million over the next five years.
The region suffered a huge economic blow in 2009 when International Paper closed its mill in Franklin, eliminating 1,100 jobs.
Judy Begland, president and CEO of Opportunity Inc., which is a workforce development organization, hopes it will turn things around for a lot of locals.
"We're very excited that many of the people that were maybe displaced from that closure might have opportunities here," Begland said.
McDonnell said in a statement, "The region continues to rebound after experiencing devastating job losses, and this project will put 800 Virginians back to work."
Jon Wettstein, a Green Mountain vice president, credited Virginia's "appealing business incentives" and labor force in selecting the Isle of Wight location.
The governor is excited to report the great news.
"This investment is of the size that really I believe will be transformational for Isle of Wight, and by all the smiles on your faces, you believe that to be true," stated McDonnell.
Wettstein concluded, "Up there in Vermont, we hear so much about Virginia is for lovers. One day, we hope one day some would say Virginia is for coffee lovers."
Green Mountain operates production and distribution centers in California, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and Canada.
