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Food manufacturer invests in Zephyrhills warehouse
Brazilian food manufacturer Bauducco Foods plans to invest $200 million in a new warehouse in Pasco County.
ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. - A Brazilian food manufacturer will soon call the Tampa Bay area home.
Bauducco Foods recently purchased 72 acres of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport Industrial Park. The property is a part of a Pasco EDC program. The manufacturer, known for its panettones and biscuits, plans to invest $200 million into building a 400,000-square-foot facility that would create 600 jobs.
"The community is excited, the city and the county, and the state all had skin in the game when it came to this particular project," said Bill Cronin, the CEO and president of the Pasco Economic Development Council.
The site is on the corner of County Road 54 and Chancey Road. Monday, Zephyrhills City Council approved an annexation of the land allowing it to be used for industrial purposes as well as an incentive package.
Tuesday, Pasco County commissioners approved a second incentive package for Bauducco that's a 25% credit abatement for a refund or credit as long as the manufacturer holds up its end of the bargain when it comes to creating jobs.
Carl Gould, an industry expert and president of 7 Stage Advisors, was surprised to hear the manufacturer chose Florida over another offer in Texas.
"Typically, you would look for a more centralized location. Whatever they manufacture there has to get throughout the country. So, you normally wouldn’t pick the bottom, right-hand corner of a country," he said. "That speaks to how well Florida did at convincing the company to come there."
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Gould believes this could be a catalyst for more manufacturers to set up shop in the Tampa Bay area.
"Tampa Bay is a wide metropolitan area, and they’re further onto the outskirts of it," he said. "But, it’s still within a striking distance, it is near an airport which gives it infrastructure to get in and out of."
The first phase of the plant is scheduled to open in late 2024 with the entire site expected to open sometime in 2028.