Food & Beverage Manufacturing – What’s in Greater Reading?October 2, 2013
Pamela Shupp, AICP, CEcDVice PresidentGreater Reading Economic Partnership
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Greater Reading, PA
• Population: 413,000+ and growing
• Population growth: 9.7%
• Diverse population:– Berks County: 16.4% Latino– City of Reading 60% Latino
o 88,000 people
• Over 400 companies are headquartered in Greater Reading
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Greater Reading Major Companies
Greater Reading, PA: Internationally Owned Companies
– Australia
– Belgium
– Canada
– Denmark
– England
– France
– Germany
– Ireland
– Israel
– Japan
– Lebanon
– Mexico
– Netherlands
– Spain
– Sweden
– Turkey
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• Over 70+ companies internationally owned, representing:
Why Greater Reading?
• Over 100 million people within an overnight’s drive
• Reliable electric grid
• Low risk for natural disasters
• Good management relations
• Competitive wage manufacturing
• Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) 147
• Keystone Opportunity Zones (KOZ)
• Convenient access to major Northeast markets
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Greater Reading Food Facts
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• Pennsylvania has more than 1,200 food-processing companies that do $28.1 billion in business each year. Almost 30 percent of these companies are in Berks County or the six counties bordering it.
• There are over 3,200 food manufacturing jobs in Greater Reading
• The and the were invented in Reading.
• Reading has been known as “Pretzel City” and Berks County produces one-third of all the pretzels baked in the United States. The production capabilities of our city’s industry are 15,000,000 in a 5 day week
Greater Reading Food Fact
• The production of Godiva chocolates, candy and other specialty items for the United States, is manufactured in Reading, Pennsylvania.
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Note: The Godiva plant in Brussels, Belgium manufactures for the rest of the world.
Support for the Food Industry in Greater Reading
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Support for the Food Industry in Greater Reading
• Greater Reading is part of the FOOD MANUFACTURERS' TRAINING CONSORTIUM OF SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
– Covers a 10 county region
– In addition to training the Incumbent Workforce, the consortium also works together to:o Gain “Economies of Scale” by doing shared trainingo Share Best Practiceso Pursue Innovationo Advance the Industryo Leverage Grant Access
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Food Products Made in Greater Reading
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Recent Food Projects in Greater Reading
• Birdsboro Kosher Farms re-opened a former kosher poultry plant and has hired/re-hired 300 employees – all since January 2013. They are now considering a retail product that touts the anti-biotic free product.
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• Saucony Creek Brewing is a craft brewery that has taken off on the social media scene with products that are pre-ordered and can’t be produced fast enough to meet demand.
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• Unique Pretzels is under construction with an $8.5 million upgrade and 75,000 SF expansion to their current manufacturing facility. Their pretzel shells are the latest craze in Pretzelmania.
Foreign Trade Zone 147
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• Customs duties are not paid on merchandise exported from a zone
• Delays in customs clearances and duty drawback are reduced or eliminated
• Spare parts may be stored, returned, or destroyed without duty payment
Keystone Opportunity Zones (KOZ)
• Over 250 acres of tax free zones - many with benefits through 2023 and in strategic locations with ease of highway access and high visibility.
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Greater Reading Economic Partnership
We are committed to growing companies.
Contact Information:
GreaterReading.com
(610) 376.437
Jon Scott, President and CEO
Deb Heffner, Economic Development
Coordinator
Aaron Costenbader, Marketing Manager
Pamela J. Shupp, Vice President
