Greencore celebrates pre-opening in Quonset

OFFICIALS ATTEND WEDNESDAY'S pre-opening event for Greencore Group PLC's new facility in Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. / COURTESY GREENCORE GROUP
OFFICIALS ATTEND WEDNESDAY'S pre-opening event for Greencore Group PLC's new facility in Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. / COURTESY GREENCORE GROUP

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Greencore Group PLC, an international convenience foods company, celebrated the pre-opening of its new sandwich facility at Quonset Business Park on Wednesday.
The event was attended by officials including Gov. Gina M. Raimondo and Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture and Food Simon Coveney.
Greencore, based in Ireland, is expected to employ approximately 400 people at its 107,000-square-foot space, and will officially open in spring. The facility marks its eighth food manufacturing plant in the United States.
“This is the first new factory build for Greencore in almost 25 years, and we are committed to developing one of the best sandwich manufacturing plants in the world here in Rhode Island,” Liam McClennon, CEO of Greencore USA, said in a statement. “This is an important investment as part of our ongoing expansion of the business to avail of opportunities in key markets. We are investing over $40 million to develop a state of the art complex. It will employ upwards of 400 staff and marks a key milestone in our strategy to grow Greencore’s business in the U.S.”
Said Raimondo, “We are thrilled that Greencore has chosen Rhode Island for its new facility. My number one priority as governor is creating middle-class jobs, and my team will remain fully committed to supporting companies like Greencore in finding people trained in the skills necessary to meet their business demands.”
During the first public address from the Quonset facility, McClennon and Board Chairman Gary Kennedy laid out their plans and expectations for the facility.
“This announcement represents the strategy of ‘smart, green growth,’ which has seen Irish companies emerge as global leaders in safe, sustainable food production,” Coveney said. “As a buyer of Irish products, Greencore offers a further opportunity to supply high-quality Irish food, from companies who are interested in the U.S. market.”
“Greencore’s Quonset facility will be the company’s Northeast hub, serving approximately 56 million people in eight states and will supply the convenience and small store channels,” Kennedy said.
The facility has the potential to expand to 150,000 square feet.
Greencore employs more than 10,000 employees across 22 convenience foods sites in the United Kingdom and United States. It entered the United States market in 2008. It also has manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Utah and Virginia.
In the United States, its primary business is the manufacture and distribution of sandwiches and other food to go products to convenience stores and food service outlets.

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