Brooks is breaking ground on a 290,000-square-foot facility for Cuisine Solutions that will create 500 jobs locally.
A leading food manufacturer and distributor announced Friday it will make the largest single investment to date at the former military installation now known as Brooks and bring hundreds of jobs to the area.
Cuisine Solutions, a Virginia-based provider of high-quality prepared gourmet entrees, sauces, and other menu items to food service providers worldwide, will open its fourth U.S. plant at Brooks and add more than 500 jobs to the South Side over four years.
A groundbreaking at Brooks on Friday heralded the start of a project estimated to cost $120 million. Cuisine Solutions’ 290,000-square-foot facility will be located on 24 acres of land on Aviation Landing across from a light industrial facility currently under construction. Work on the plant will begin in March, with opening anticipated for mid-2020.
“The addition of Cuisine Solutions contributes to our strategic goal of supporting the employment needs of our surrounding community,” stated Leo Gomez, president and CEO of Brooks.
Cuisine Solutions is the third global company to secure a location at Brooks in the past year. Japanese manufacturing company Nissei Plastic Machinery America opened its first U.S. plant at Brooks in May 2018. Czech business processing services company OKIN BPS selected Brooks as the site of its U.S. headquarters in October 2018, with operations scheduled to begin in mid-2019.
As a public-private development, Brooks provides tenants with land free of property taxes.
“Brooks is the ideal location for us to establish our presence west of the Mississippi River,” stated Stanislas Vilgrain, chairman and CEO of Cuisine Solutions. “San Antonio has an industrious and enthusiastic workforce that we’ll tap into to help support our growth and meet the increasing demand for our restaurant-quality products.”
The Brooks production facility will be the company’s sixth. Others are located in Virginia, France, Thailand, and soon, Pennsylvania. Officials said the San Antonio plant will be equipped with new technology that will enable the company to meet increased demand for their high-quality sous vide products.
Founded in 1972, Cuisine Solutions is a supplier for restaurants, airlines, hotels, retail, and food service business. The company went public in 1984, with shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2009, shareholders voted to take the company private again, estimating it would save the company $800,000 a year.
“Our community’s growth momentum continues with 500 new manufacturing jobs for our city’s South Side,” stated Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “Cuisine Solutions’ selection of San Antonio for its fourth U.S. production facility reflects our community’s commitment to being a business-friendly city, prepared to meet the workforce needs of rapidly growing, international corporations.”
“Now is the time to invest in San Antonio and the rapidly developing community at Brooks,” stated Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. “We are proud to welcome Cuisine Solutions, the most recent manufacturer to realize its growth potential in San Antonio.”
Earlier this month, Brooks announced a new retail development will open at the campus this summer. City Base Commons, a 50,000-square-foot shopping center located on Southeast Military Drive, will feature a mix of tenants including McAllister’s Deli, Jimmy Johns, Raising Cane’s, HuHot Mongolian Grill, Tia’s Taco Hut, Deco Pizzeria, Smoothie King, Mr. C’s Fried Chicken and Waffles, Laundry Rey’s Wash ‘N Fold, Rio Nail Salon, and Medusa Hair Salon.
Article originally published here: Food Manufacturer to Build $120M Facility at Brooks, Bring Hundreds of Jobs
