FlavorSum plans $10M expansion to double Kalamazoo operations

FlavorSum plans $10M expansion to double Kalamazoo operations
Courtesy FlavorSum

Flavor manufacturer FlavorSum LLC plans to begin construction on an expansion project that will double the size of its West Michigan location.

The private equity-backed FlavorSum is building a 35,000-square-foot expansion to its Kalamazoo production facility that’s expected to spur a total of $10 million in private investment and create a projected 51 local jobs.

The company aims to have the expanded location operating at full capacity in August 2023.

The Michigan Strategic Fund is supporting the project with a $500,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. According to a statement from the governor’s office, FlavorSum chose the Kalamazoo location for the expansion over competing sites in the U.S. and Canada.

“Response to our solutions model and the growth of SME (small, mid-sized and emerging) food and beverage brands led us to expand our capabilities in Kalamazoo,” FlavorSum President and CEO Brian Briggs said in a statement. “FlavorSum’s mission is to deliver the flexibility of a small supplier with the resources of a major flavor company. The additional space allows us to continue fulfilling our promise.”

FlavorSum’s expansion was one of three projects receiving support from the Michigan Strategic Fund this morning. ABB Robotics in Auburn Hills and Sonoco Protective Solutions in Owosso also are planning expansions that aim to create a projected 150 new jobs combined and a total private investment of $30.4 million

“The decisions by these companies to expand in Michigan highlight the strength of our advanced manufacturing and agribusiness ecosystem,”  Quentin Messer Jr., CEO of MEDC and president and chair of the MSF Board, said in a statement. “These projects are wins for the entire state.”

At FlavorSum, the planned expansion will house production, warehousing operations, lab space and cooler space, helping meet the needs of small and medium-sized emerging food and beverage brands. Additionally, the pilot plant and lab space within the new facility will support initiatives including new equipment, improved shipping and receiving processes and increased product storage spaces.

Oshtemo Township has offered a 50-percent property tax abatement in support of the project, the build-out for which will be managed by Portage-based AVB Construction LLC. Oshtemo-based Schley Nelson Architects Inc. designed the project.

“I am pleased to see the collaboration between the Governor’s economic team and FlavorSum to double the size of its Kalamazoo facility,” State Sen. Sean McCann said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see a company like FlavorSum — that has been with the community from the beginning — benefit from a first mover advantage in their existing space as opposed to starting from scratch in another facility.”

The company currently employs 60 Michigan workers at its facility in Kalamazoo.