In less than a month, Kraft Heinz is expected to begin renovations and invest further at a plant in North Texas, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The company, which is co-headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Chicago, Illinois, operates a manufacturing facility in Garland. Kraft Heinz plans to spend more than $8.9 million on renovating office space and adding a lunchroom and lockers as part of a project that spans 41,800 square feet, the filing shows. According to TDLR, construction is scheduled to begin on Dec. 4 and should be completed in May.
The Dennis Group has been tapped as the design firm for the work.
It comes more than four years after Kraft Heinz received state approval for a Texas Enterprise Zone Program designation that led to a $25 million investment at the Garland plant and creation of 250 jobs.
According to the governor’s website, the program encourages private investment and job creation in economically distressed areas through state sales and use tax refunds. Before receiving approval, Texas cities must nominate companies in their jurisdictions to receive the designation. Those companies must then meet minimum capital investment thresholds and create or retain jobs that employ a certain percentage of economically disadvantaged workers, enterprise zone residents or veterans, according to the governor’s website.
With operations in more than 40 countries, Kraft Heinz is one of the largest food and beverage manufacturers in the world, according to its website. Its other brands include Oscar Meyer, Ore-Ida, Classico, Velveeta, Smart Ones, ABC, Capri Sun, Wattie’s, Kool Aid, Weight Watchers, Jello, Philadelphia, Golden Cirlce, Lunchables, Pudliszki, Maxwell House, Grey Poupon, Master, Honig, Plasmon and Quero.
The company announced on Monday that it has launched its Pickle Ketchup, “a new condiment that combines the tangy and savory flavor of pickles with the unmistakable taste of HEINZ Ketchup.” Attributing the new product to “the new pickle craze in America,” it’s the first company innovation to launch globally since the brand’s unification worldwide, according to its website. The condiment is set to appear on shelves early next year.
