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Savencia asks county to sponsor Freeport plant expansion into enterprise zone, projects about $7 million investment and 42 jobs
Summary
County committee voted to forward a request from Savencia to add three parcels to the enterprise zone so the company can install new equipment and produce a wrapped brie product; committee will send the sponsorship to the full county board for approval.
Andrea, a county planning staff member, told the committee that Savencia has proposed a small expansion at its Freeport plant that would add equipment to produce a new individually wrapped brie product and smooth seasonal workforce needs. The company asked the committee to sponsor a request that three parcels it owns be returned to the county's enterprise zone so the project can qualify for zone benefits.
The proposed product requires a large retort-style sterilization unit that would not melt the cheese but would allow packaged brie to shelf for a much longer period, Andrea said. That longer shelf life would let the plant even out production across the year and reduce seasonal spikes in hiring, she said. Andrea said the parcel that contains the existing building had been included in the old enterprise zone but was inadvertently omitted from the zone's legal description when the zone was reconstituted in 2020.
Andrea said Savencia is planning just under $7,000,000 in investment for the first phase and is projecting 42 additional jobs in that phase. She said the plant would continue its existing production lines and add the new product; Savencia would operate the only U.S. facility in its corporate portfolio that manufactures this specific wrapped brie item.
Committee members asked technical and sourcing questions during the discussion. One member asked whether the process would use cow or goat milk; Andrea said she believed the product would be dairy-based but was not certain about the milk source. Committee members also confirmed the next steps: the committee vote to sponsor the enterprise-zone addition will be forwarded to the full county board; if the county board approves, the county executive signs the sponsorship and the enterprise-zone board and the zone's member governments will consider the change.
The committee voted to sponsor and forward Savencia's request to the county board; there was no recorded opposition in the meeting transcript and the motion carried.
The item will next appear before the Stephenson County Board and then the enterprise-zone authority; Andrea said a special enterprise-zone meeting may be required and other member governments (including the City of Freeport) typically review enterprise-zone adjustments.
