Kervan invests $20M to open candy manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania
Kervan USA has announced plans to open a new packaging and manufacturing facility in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. The company, which produces gummy, licorice, and marshmallow candies, is investing $20 million in the new 90,000-square-foot building and will add approximately 40 new employees to its Lehigh Valley workforce.
The new facility will consolidate Kervan USA’s current packaging and distribution operations from New Jersey and eventually support local manufacturing. Products manufactured under the Bebeto and Yumy Yumy brands will be imported through the port in Newark, New Jersey, and packaged at the Lehigh Valley site for distribution. The company selected the location for its proximity to ports, access to a strong workforce, and cost advantages compared to New Jersey.
What people are saying
In a recent quote, Gokhan Kacmaz, Chief Financial Officer, Kervan USA, said, “This location made perfect sense, both proximity to the ports and the workforce. We saw a big opportunity. All this made the Lehigh Valley a great location to make this investment.”
Doug Warfel, Director of Attraction and Lending at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), added, “The advantages that Kervan USA identified in the Lehigh Valley are what make the region a hub for food and beverage manufacturing. The location between New York and Philadelphia provides access to multiple ports and international airports and is within a day’s drive of one-third of the U.S. population, making it easy for manufacturers to get their products to market.”
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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