Freshpet to Open R&D Center in Hanover Township, PA

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Freshpet, Inc. president and chief operating officer Scott Morris announced that the company would be opening a research and development center in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park IV (LVIP IV) in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania.

The center will occupy an existing building next to Freshpet Kitchens, located at 176 N. Commerce Way.

“We don’t currently have an estimate on the jobs as we are just starting construction, but there will be additional jobs over time,” said Morris, adding that a ribbon cutting will be held at the site Friday morning.

As reported by Bloomberg News, Freshpet purchased the property at 146 N. Commerce Way in June for $5 million from Transilwrap Co. Inc., a small plastic converter that relocated to Maryland earlier in the year.

According to Morris, the facility will hold offices and equipment and will be used for product innovation, improvement and development.

“It’ll be a pretty significant investment by the time it’s finished and up and going,” Morris said.

Freshpet is based in Secaucus, New Jersey, launched in 2006 and produces refrigerated pet food. In 2013, the company opened a 60,000 square-foot facility in LVIP IV and has plans for a 32,000 square-feet expansion in July.