SCHUMER ATTENDS GROUNDBREAKING CELEBRATION FOR BRAND NEW AMY’S KITCHEN FACILITY IN GOSHEN, FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL PUSH TO GET PROJECT APPROVED BY FEDS; SENATOR SAYS MAJOR INVESTMENT IS THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & 680 GOOD-PAYING JOBS IN THE HUDSON VALLEY

Amy’s Kitchen Is Set To Break Ground On A New $95 Million Plant In Goshen, NY, Creating 680 Jobs In Orange County With Potential For Hundreds More

After His Work To Help Amy’s Kitchen Secure Numerous Federal Approvals & Permits For New Facility, Schumer Attends Groundbreaking Celebration

Schumer: With All The Ingredients On The Table, It’s Time For Amy’s Kitchen To Start Cooking Up Jobs In Orange County

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today attended the groundbreaking ceremony of food distribution company Amy’s Kitchen’s new meal-manufacturing plant in Goshen, NY. Schumer explained that after his push, Amy’s Kitchen secured the necessary wetlands jurisdiction review permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to begin construction on the new, $95 million, 389,000-square foot plant, which is expected to start operations in 2021. Additionally, Schumer explained, the major investment in Goshen from Amy’s Kitchen is expected to create 680 good-paying, local jobs with the potential to add another 300.

“Amy’s Kitchen, New York State and Orange County are a recipe for success. It’s clear that Amy’s Kitchen recognizes that Goshen is the perfect kitchen to start cooking up their top-notch products and major economic development in the Hudson Valley, and I’m so thrilled to see years of planning and hard work come together here with the groundbreaking of this new plant,” said Senator Schumer. “I’ve fiercely supported Amy’s Kitchen throughout this process because I knew the company and Goshen were a microwavable match made in heaven and the perfect serving of meaningful economic development in the Hudson Valley. With shovels officially in the ground on the company’s brand new facility in Goshen, we’re one major step closer to serving up hundreds of good-paying jobs in the region.”

“From the very beginning, Senator Schumer has been very supportive of Amy’s coming to Goshen. Not only has he helped us navigate the complex regulatory environment locally, but even went to the trouble of arranging the opportunity for us to meet local farmers in the area to discuss how we can source organic ingredients for our new facility and chaired the meeting personally. We are so excited that, with Senator Schumer’s help, we now have the necessary approvals to begin building our kitchen in Goshen,” said Andy Berliner, CEO and Co-Founder, Amy’s Kitchen.

Schumer successfully helped Amy’s Kitchen clear numerous important hurdles that were preventing the company from beginning construction on the new plant. Schumer initially focused on helping Amy’s Kitchen receive a wetlands jurisdictional determination from the USACE, but has since also helped the company secure other federal approvals, including a Memorandum of Agreement for the recovery of significant information from archaeological sites, and consultation on endangered species with US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Schumer has long supported the Amy’s Kitchen proposal to move its distribution operations from out-of-state to the Hudson Valley, to construct a state-of-the-art meal-manufacturing facility and create hundreds of jobs in Orange County. In December 2015, Schumer met with Andy and Rachel Berliner, co-founders and owners of Amy’s Kitchen, to discuss ways to help the company create jobs and prosper in the Hudson Valley. During their meeting, Schumer vowed to fight tooth and nail to help the company grow jobs and succeed in New York.

With construction finally set to begin, Schumer is optimistic that the new facility will have a significant economic impact on local Hudson Valley farms and the regional agricultural industry.  He explained, that Amy’s Kitchen has historically relied on local communities and small businesses to provide ingredients for their distribution centers and product lines. Schumer further explained that two-thirds of the ingredients used in Amy’s Kitchen products come from California and Oregon – because that is where Amy’s is currently located. Schumer said the development of this new facility in Goshen could mean increased opportunities for Orange County businesses and farms to provide ingredients for Amy’s products, as most of its sales are in the Eastern half of the U.S. Product lines include frozen entrees, burritos, soups, cookies and candy.

Amy’s Kitchen is a California-based, family-owned organic and natural food distribution company that sells its products to many large national retail chains, including ShopRite, Price Chopper and Wal-Mart. In 2014, the company announced it would be building a $95 million, 389,000-sq. foot development in Goshen, NY. The formerly vacant site that Amy’s is now occupying is located between 100 Echo Lake Road and Route 17M – a 200-acre parcel of land. According to company officials, the new distribution facility is expected to employ roughly 680 local residents in Orange County.

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