MEBANE, N.C. — Lotus Bakeries has selected Mebane as the site for its first U.S. facility. The company said it will invest more than $48 million to build a 160,000-square-foot plant at the N.C. Industrial Center in Mebane, with construction set to begin in the first half of 2017.
The plant is expected to employ 60 by Dec. 31, 2020, Lotus Bakeries said.
Based in Belgium, Lotus Bakeries has production facilities in Belgium, The Netherlands, France and Sweden, and 17 sales organizations in Europe. The company also has a North American office in San Francisco. The United States is now the largest market for Lotus Biscoff cookies, with an expected annual volume of nearly 1 million biscuits, Lotus Bakeries said when giving its half-year results in August.
The company has approximately 1,350 employees worldwide and in 2015 recorded sales of about €411.6 million.
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| Jan Boone, c.e.o. of Lotus Bakeries |
“Having a Lotus Biscoff plant in the USA is a major step for our company,” said Jan Boone, chief executive officer of Lotus Bakeries. “For the first time since our foundation in 1932 Biscoff will be produced outside of Lembeke, Belgium. Lotus Bakeries and all its employees are extremely proud with this expansion in the world’s largest consumer market.”
Lotus Bakeries said the expansion project was made possible by a performance-based grant of up to $180,000 from the One North Carolina Fund, which provides financial assistance to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state.
“We welcome Lotus Bakeries, which is a strong fit for our state’s food manufacturing industry,” said North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. “This company recognizes that North Carolina’s convenient location, excellent business climate and well-trained workforce will support its North American growth strategy.”
