N.C. Governor Bev Perdue and Statesville Mayor Cosi Kutteh joined members of the Stamey family – dairy and cattle farmers in Iredell County – and the Alarcón family of Ecuador to cut the ribbon on a new $7 million facility off Interstate 40 near Statesville.
Origin Food Group was created in 2009 when the two families partnered to create a company to produce a line of healthy yogurt-and-fruit shakes under the brand name Früsh.
Statesville Regional Development Executive Director Michael Smith commented on the opening of the facility and the larger trends in food and beverage production, “Origin Food is an excellent example of value-added agriculture. As consumers demand fresher, healthier food products and manufacturers seek efficiencies associated with moving food processing closer to the point of production; these farm-to-factory manufacturing facilities are cropping up around the country. The milk used in Früsh will come from neighboring Stamey Farms, making the trip from the cow to the container just a few hundred yards. You can’t get much fresher than that.”
Construction of the plant began in 2010. Initially, the plant will employ 28 workers, with employment expected to grow to around 50 by 2014.
