U.S. Tobacco Cooperative broke ground today for a 150,000 square feet addition to its stemmery and manufacturing operations in Timberlake, North Carolina, USA.
The ceremony was attended by company representatives, customers and North Carolina Governor Patrick McCrory.
McCrory praised the economic benefits of the expansion, stressing that USTC’s investment would help keep North Carolina tobacco No. 1.
“To be competitive, North Carolina needs to be efficient,” he said. “And that is what this facility is all about.”
According to USTC, the additional space will allow a faster path from USTC-owned growers crops to onsite green tobacco storage at the plant.
The investment will also lower green conversion costs by reducing freight and handling from the current storage facility in Sanford, North Carolina; it will increase tobacco yields while reducing downtime and reduces non-related tobacco materials thus improving quality.
USTC says it is committed to the highest production standards in the industry with tobacco grown from socially responsible commercial growers. The projected volume through the facility is between 50 million and 53 million pounds per crop year.