City issues more permits for $65 million Danone manufacturing addition in Jacksonville (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Daily Record) — On Dec. 8, the city issued permits for R.C. Stevens Construction Co. of Winter Garden to renovate a 16,158-square-foot extraction building and add a 1,552-square-foot batch room at a construction cost of $7.5 million.
The permits come two days after the Dec. 6 permit for R.C. Stevens to make renovations to the 102,033-square-foot main building at 2198 W. Beaver St., also at a job cost of $7.5 million.
The city approved site work in December 2022 by R.C. Stevens and approved a permit in July for Jacksonville-based Auld & White Constructors LLC to build a pump room.
Danone North America announced Feb. 22 it will invest up to $65 million over the next two years at the plant and add 40 full-time jobs to its workforce of 110.
Danone said it intended to start construction in late 2023 for completion in summer 2024 on the project, which comprises building and facility upgrades.
The food and beverage company will add a bottle production line.
It said that line will increase production of several of the company’s coffee and creamer brands in the U.S., including International Delight, Silk and SToK, which is cold brew coffee.
The Paris-based company’s North America operation is based in Broomfield, Colorado, and White Plains, New York.
Danone North America’s brands include Activia, DanActive, Danimals, Dannon, evian, Happy Family, Honest to Goodness, Horizon Organic, International Delight, Oikos, Silk, YoCrunch and others.
Danone North America has more than 6,000 employees and 16 production locations across the U.S. and Canada.
The company is expanding in Jacksonville with the support of a $3.6 million property tax and grant incentives package approved Dec. 13, 2022, by the Jacksonville City Council.
Council voted to award a $3.1 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant, which is a property tax refund, and a $500,000 completion grant from the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund.
An Oct. 26, 2022, project summary from the city Office of Economic Development said the anticipated capital investment is a $55 million build-out of its existing facility and installation of new equipment plus $10 million in utility upgrades.
The incentives are tied to the company’s commitment to retain 110 existing jobs and add 40 positions at an annual average wage of $50,000, according to the summary.
The jobs will have to be in place by June 30, 2025, to qualify for the incentives.