Vending

Hershey investing $135M to expand Virginia plant, adding 100-plus jobs

June 30, 2020

The Hershey Company will invest $135 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Augusta County, Virginia, according to a press release. The company will increase production capacity at its existing facility in Stuarts Draft by 90,000 square feet and create 110 jobs.

The Virginia facility is the company's second-largest plant in the United States. In May 2019, Governor Ralph Northam joined Hershey to announce a $104 million investment and 65 new jobs to expand production capacity at the company's Augusta County operation.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Augusta County to secure the project for Virginia. Northam approved a $1.1 million grant from the Commonwealth's Opportunity Fund to assist Augusta County with the project. The governor also approved a performance-based grant of $500,000 from the Virginia Investment Performance program, an incentive that encourages capital investment by existing Virginia companies.