Oatly Inc., a Swedish food-manufacturing company that produces oat-based drinks, has decided to open a new production facility in Ogden, state officials announced Wednesday.
To support the company’s $40 million capital investment in Weber County — which over the next seven years is projected to create 50 jobs and generate $2.9 million in new state revenue — the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) will give the company a post-performance tax credit of nearly $300,000.
“Oatly is a great addition to Utah’s manufacturing community,” Val Hale, executive director of GOED, said in a news release, “and will add to our food and beverage industry in the state."
Oatly, which launched 25 years ago in Sweden, currently has production facilities in New Jersey and Quebec, according to its website. The Ogden facility will be its first operation in the western U.S. The company’s signature product is an oat drink, a vegan, plant-based milk alternative made from oats that is naturally gluten-free. It is available now in Utah Whole Foods stores.
“Through this partnership with the state of Utah,” said Oatly U.S. General Manager Mike Messersmith, “our upcoming factory in Ogden will help us keep oat milk in all the many coffee shops, grocery stores and refrigerators that want it.”
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