COLUMBUS, Ind. – Irresistible Foods Group, parent of the national brand, King’s Hawaiian, has announced plans to locate King’s Hawaiian’s first U.S. Midwest production site in Bartholomew County, at a prominent I-65 location just outside Columbus near Taylorsville.
King’s Hawaiian intends to invest up to $180 million to construct and equip a 300,000-square-foot state-of-the-art bakery and production facility. It expects to employ nearly 150 people with an average wage of $29.94.
“We are very pleased to extend a warm welcome to King’s Hawaiian and celebrate their decision to establish roots in Indiana,” said Ann Lathrop, Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) chief strategy officer. “The company’s new facility will not only create high-quality jobs and competitive wages but also bring prosperity and robust growth into the community, benefitting Hoosiers for decades to come.”
The family-owned company, headquartered in Torrance, California, selected an 88-acre site located at the southeast corner of Exit 76 on I-65, opposite the Indiana Premium Outlets of Edinburgh. The company plans to break ground in 2024, with operations to commence in late 2026 or early 2027.
Once operational, the initial facility will produce King’s Hawaiian’s well-known Hawaiian bakery products. Local leaders point out that the 88-acre site provides enough land for possible expansion, and the company’s history indicates growth with additional jobs is a definite possibility.
When asked about what drew the company to Columbus and Bartholomew County, Leonardo referenced the community’s workforce strengths, supportive business environment, and the strong presence of corporate and civic engagement that is demonstrated throughout the county.
One need that Bartholomew County officials identified was for additional offsite infrastructure to support not only the King’s Hawaiian project but also the surrounding Taylorsville area. Bartholomew County Council recently approved the allocation of up to $2.7 million from its Rainy Day fund to pay for upgrades to offsite water, sewer, and road improvements. County Commissioners pledged an additional $646,000 from County Economic Development funds.
“We are pleased to support King’s Hawaiian’s investment in our county,” said County Council president, Jorge Morales.
Based on the company’s investment and job creation plans, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) committed an investment in King’s Hawaiian of up to $1.8 million in the form of incentive-based tax credits; up to $200,000 in workforce training grants; and $400,000 to the local community from the Industrial Development Grant Fund to support infrastructure improvements.
The Bartholomew County government also approved a 10-year tax phase-in abatement on the company’s real and personal property investment, with the company agreeing to waive its real property abatement in exchange for the added infrastructure.
“King’s Hawaiian and Irresistible Foods Group will be a tremendous addition to Bartholomew County and the Columbus area,” said Jason Hester, president of Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation. “They represent the type of high-paying, community-minded employer we love to work with, and food/beverage manufacturing is one of our top industry targets, for a true win/win project.”