The Bethlehem business behind the popular olive oil and vinegar tasting room on America’s No. 1 Main Street is pressing ahead with a sizable investment in the Lehigh Valley, the latest in the region’s growing food and beverage sector. 
Millpress Imports, which serves retail customers through Seasons Olive Oil & Vinegar on Main Street, is expanding into a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility for olive oil, vinegar, and other specialty foods. The building, under construction in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII in Bethlehem, is expected to create 10 to 15 new jobs in the next five years.
The expansion also will strengthen the Lehigh Valley’s role in an international supply chain, connecting olive oil producers of Spain and Portugal with customers in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
“Our new facility will give us the space and infrastructure to expand our manufacturing and distribution capabilities, strengthen our relationships with domestic and international supply partners, and better serve our customers throughout North America,” said Tim Balshi, CEO and President of Millpress. “We are proud to continue building our business in Bethlehem while creating job opportunities to support our long-term growth.”
Balshi and Soraya Aguilar opened the Bethlehem tasting room in 2009, a decade after they began importing olive oil into the United States. Inspired by Aguilar’s upbringing on an olive estate in southern Spain, the married couple built the business by transporting imported olive oil between Maine and Virginia, sharing their passion for the product along the way.
Millpress has operated in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park I in Bethlehem since 2015 and currently employs 22 people. Its tasting room is part of the business district that was ranked the top Main Street in the U.S. by readers of USA Today in its 10Best competition.
The company’s new facility is expected to significantly increase Millpress’ production, storage, and logistics capacity while supporting continued growth of the company’s sales channels including bulk ingredient, private-label, and food service. It will accommodate olive oil and vinegar blending, bulk storage, flavoring, bottling, packaging, and distribution for its food service, tasting rooms, private label, and industrial partners.
The Lehigh Valley Economic Investment Corporation has approved $2.2 million in Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) loans for Millpress, to assist with the property and equipment purchases. The economic investment corporation is a state certified loan organization that Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) provides administrative services to. The loans are pending approval by the state PIDA Board.
The new building for Millpress will also serve as the U.S. operational base for Harvestline, a joint venture between Millpress and its Spanish-Portuguese grower-producer partner, Aceite de Oliva Iberia, S.L. The partnership will create a direct supply chain connecting growers and olive oil mills in Spain and Portugal with expanded bulk storage and distribution capabilities in Bethlehem, enhancing service to customers throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Lehigh Valley is among the Top 15% of markets nationwide for manufacturing, based on Gross Domestic Product. More than 700 manufacturers collectively generate about $9 billion in output annually. That represents 16% of the Lehigh Valley’s GDP. Nationally, manufacturing is 11% of GDP.
Lehigh Valley has become a stronger hub for food and beverage manufacturing. Jobs in that industry are now 60% more concentrated in the Lehigh Valley than nationally, up from 30% in 2020. Since 2010, employment in food and beverage production grew more than three times as fast as the U.S. rate. Over that time, the number of food and beverage production establishments in the Lehigh Valley grew by nearly 90% and now numbers 127.
Those producers include global and regional brands such as Boston Beer Co., Bakerly/Norac, Coca-Cola, Freshpet, Just Born Quality Confections, Ocean Spray, Nestle Purina, and Spot & Tango. Chobani plans to open a $1.2 billion dairy product manufacturing operation, the largest agricultural investment in Pennsylvania history.
Millpress’ new location features high-bay storage and state-of-the-art dedicated bulk olive oil tank infrastructure.
“LVIP VII gives us a strategic location and a Class A building that matches the quality standards we hold for every bottle of olive oil we produce,” Balshi said. “Just as important, it gives our team a modern workplace equal to the dedication they bring every day.”
The building at 1550 Spillman Drive targets the need for small Class A industrial buildings, said Kerry Wrobel, President & CEO of Lehigh Valley Industrial Park.
“Millpress epitomizes the small manufacturer we hoped to attract to LVIP VII with our first building,” Wrobel said. “We're thrilled to welcome Millpress Imports to their new home.”
Construction of the building’s core and shell is by Sage Design-Build. Millpress’ office fit-out will be completed by J.G. Petrucci Co., Inc.
(Photos by LVEDC and Lehigh Valley Industrial Park)