Customs Flavors, a California-based developer and manufacturer of liquid and powdered flavor solutions, plans to invest $7.75 million in a new East Coast production facility in Concord that will generate 42 jobs paying on average over $58,000.

Founded in 2005, Custom Flavors is a family-owned and operated company with extensive expertise in the flavor and food industries. The company delivers exceptional organic, natural, and artificial flavors into bakery, beverage, confectionery, dairy, supplements, and sports nutrition products. The company's new Concord facility will expand innovation and production capacity, enabling shorter lead times and reduced freight costs for its growing customer base along the East Coast.

"We're thrilled to be expanding our operations to North Carolina and becoming part of the wonderful Concord community," said Alex Wendling, President of Custom Flavors. "This location will serve as our Eastern hub for innovation and supply to growing brands and manufacturers. North Carolina's welcoming business environment and dynamic growth made it the ideal choice for this next chapter in our journey."

"It's a pleasure to welcome Custom Flavors to Concord as they expand the food science and manufacturing industry in our region and create new jobs and opportunities for residents and local businesses," said Mayor Bill Dusch, City of Concord. "Concord has a long history of producing high quality food and beverage products and we're excited to continue that tradition with the addition of Custom Flavors. They flavor some of the nation's most beloved products that families enjoy every day and we're proud to be part of that enjoyment."

Over the next three years, the company plans to invest $7.75 million in a 53,000 square foot production facility on West Winds Boulevard in Concord, a site formerly occupied by S&D Coffee. The property also includes an additional 70,000 square foot building, allowing room for possible expansion in the future. The initial investment will generate 42 jobs with an average wage of $58,705, exceeding the Cabarrus County average of $49,058. The jobs include the hiring of food scientists, production operators, quality control engineers, managers and senior leaders.

"Custom Flavors will bring good paying jobs and capital investment generating property taxes that will pay for schools, parks and public safety officers for decades to come. I'm proud of the work done by the Cabarrus EDC team in assisting with their recruitment and look forward to welcoming this strong, family-owned business to our community," said Brian Hiatt, Cabarrus EDC Interim Executive Director.

Custom Flavors proudly supports many leading brands found in top retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Publix. With a portfolio of over 20,000 unique flavors, Custom Flavors brings innovation and expertise to a wide range of products.

"Built upon the foundation of the NC Food Innovation Lab in Kannapolis, we see food manufacturing as a key industry cluster in Cabarrus County and know that Custom Flavors will further bolster this sector," said Hiatt.

Custom Flavors' new Concord location provides convenient access to the NC Food Innovation Lab where the company can continue to collaborate with local brands, grow their local brand footprint and work on new product testing.

Economic incentive package

Officials with the City of Concord will meet to consider the local incentives on January 9, 2025. The performance-based property tax grants are being proposed on an estimated $7.75 million of the company's overall investment. These grants are only applicable if the operations meet continual performance goals.

The Cabarrus EDC worked collaboratively with the following organizations to locate the food company in Concord: City of Concord, Cabarrus County, North Carolina General Assembly, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Food Innovation Lab, North Carolina Community College System, and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.