To learn more about how the Lehigh Valley can help your business, fill out this quick form or email Doug Warfel at dwarfel@lehighvalley.org.
Where Food & Beverage Processing Thrives
The Lehigh Valley’s access to agricultural areas, abundance of fresh water and natural resources, and proximity to major East Coast population centers have long made it an ideal location for food and beverage companies. We're the birthplace of the U.S. organic food movement and home to an innovation campus for growing food and beverage companies. Some of the world's most iconic brands are made here.
Learn why leaders in the food and beverage industry choose to be in the Lehigh Valley in this short video about the economic assets for the industry in the region.
A Who's Who of Industry Leaders
You're in Good Company
Just Born, (photo at left) family-owned candy manufacturer celebrating 100 years in business and maker of iconic brands such as Peeps, Mike and Ike, Hot Tamales, and Goldenberg's Peanut Chews.
Bimbo Bakeries, the world’s largest breadmaker, operates a plant in the Lehigh Valley that produced 190 loaves of bread and 175 eight packs of buns every 60 seconds when it opened in 2014.
Freshpet, whose mission is to bring the power of fresh, real food to pets, recently opened a $100 million expansion in the Lehigh Valley.
Coca Cola, the iconic soft drink maker, has operated a syrup plant in the Lehigh Valley since 1997, adding a sixth line in 2019 to make Powerade.
Bakerly/Norac Foods, a French maker of baked pasta and frozen desserts, worked with Northampton Community College to adapt its European production to its new facility in the Lehigh Valley.
Ocean Spray, popular for cranberry juices and products, makes 42% of its products in the Lehigh Valley.
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+50%
Food & Beverage Employment Growth in Last Decade
21% in the U.S.
+63%
Food & Beverage GDP Growth in Last Decade
25% in the U.S.
3,332
# of Related Higher Ed Credentials Awarded with 45 Minutes
Home to 11 Colleges, Universities
88
# of Food and Beverage Business Locations
Lehigh County Has Most Beverage Makers in PA
Skilled, Affordable Workforce
| Occupation | Lehigh Valley, Pa. | Philadelphia Metro | New York City Metro |
| First-line production supervisors | $33.08 | $33.89 | $36.78 |
| Laborers and material movers | $22.07 | $20.96 | $22.07 |
| Forklift operators | $23.41 | $22.16 | $24.13 |
| Bakers | $18.37 | $18.08 | $20.38 |
Source: JobsEQ, Q4 2023
Everything You Need, All in the Right Place
The Lehigh Valley Advantage
- We are within a day's drive of a third of the U.S. population
- We are within 100 miles of 23 transportation and infrastructure assets, including the Port of New York/New Jersey and Port of Philadelphia
- A network of rail lines is dedicated to freight and an intermodal that is 15 minutes from an international airport
- Major highways and interstates, connecting to all major markets in the Northeast and Midwest
- Nearby availability of agricultural products for food processing
- Water and sewer capacity
- Home to a Foreign Trade Zone, which reduces tariffs on exports
- Home to Lehigh University’s Center for Manufacturing Systems Engineering
- 1,000+ graduates annually at the region's three technical schools each year
- Innovative manufacturing programs at Northampton Community College and Lehigh Carbon Community College
- Rigorous research, farmer training, and consumer education in organic agriculture at the Rodale Institute, a pioneer in the organic food movement
- Expertise of the Penn State extension, a respected educational leader in translating scientific research into real-world applications in areas such as food, agriculture, animals, energy, and more
- A special employment concentration in cold storage: 8.5 times larger than the typical U.S. region
CCI Prime
CCI Prime, also known as Chan & Chan and Prime Food Processing, expanded its Bethlehem manufacturing facility by 35,000 square feet, to a footprint of 100,000 square feet. The company joined Lehigh Valley's flourishing food and beverage industry in 2018. It plans to increase its workforce from about 20 to 100 when the production currently occurring at its other operating site in Brooklyn is shifted to Bethlehem within about the next two years.
The company manufactures dumplings,, bao buns, soupy pork dumplings, mini sausages, dried sausage, and numerous other products that are sold primarily through specialty ethnic markets. CCI Prime plans to continue to expand its Asian cuisine product lines by introducing authentic dishes to mainstream retail consumers.
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