S&W Wholesale Foods, a Hammond-based company, said it will spend $21 million to purchase and renovate an existing Tangipahoa Parish distribution facility.
The work is expected to create 60 construction jobs and retain more than 100 existing jobs, Louisiana Economic Development officials said. The work, which will involve replacing a roof and adding office space to the building, should be completed by the end of the year.
S&W distributes brands such as Kraft Heinz, Nestle, Cajun Chef and LA Fish Fry to restaurants, convenience stores and bakeries across southeast Louisiana.
The company announced plans in late 2021 to spend $12 million to build a 100,000-square-foot center at the Interstate 12/Pumpkin Center exit. At the time, S&W officials said they had expanded their Old Covington Highway location 13 times since it was founded in 1978 and they didn’t have any more room to grow. The center was set to open in June 2023.
But S&W changed its plans and will instead buy a 252,000 square foot building off La. 190.Â
Paul Spalitta, president and CEO of S&W, said in an email the company's plans to build a new office were derailed due to COVID and rising inflation. "So, we pivoted and found this existing facility that we were able to acquire less than the cost of building brand new and it is about three times the size of what we were planning to build," he said.
LED offered S&W Foods an incentives package that includes a $700,000 performance-based reimbursement of infrastructure and repair costs. The award is contingent on approval from the Louisiana Economic Development Corporation board.
