Snack company 1440 Foods announces move to fast-growing River Ridge Commerce Center

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — A healthy snack company is the newest tenant at the growing River Ridge Commerce Center.

1440 Foods, which owns several protein bar and protein powder brands, will invest $60 million to renovate an existing structure, which it plans to open for production in 2025. The company's facility aims to staff 200 people when work begins, according to a news release.

The company is one of several to announce a move to River Ridge in the past year, joining Facebook parent company Meta, the Cheesecake Factory and Canadian Solar.

1440 Foods, named for the 1,440 minutes in a day, makes Pure Protein, Met-Rx and Balance bars, and Body Fortress protein powder.

Alexandre Médicis, board chairman of 1440 Foods, said the company has 70 employees, so the River Ridge facility could triple its total workforce.

"Walking into this building, it's amazing, but it's quiet, it's empty," Médicis said Wednesday. "The real deal is when we are going to have a lot of people working. We're going to see products coming out of the lines."

1440 Foods chose to move to River Ridge because its Midwest location, quality of the site and financial support of the local government, Gui Santos, a company vice president, told the Courier Journal. He also said Jeffersonville and the area has a suitable number of trained workers for the company's needs.

"We've used co-manufacturers, in the East Coast, West Coast and Canada," Santos said. "So this move for us is a big move because now, as we're growing so fast, we decided it was time for us to have our own facility, versus contracting with someone else."

The company said in a statement it is working to fill administrative roles and will open up positions for other jobs later in 2024. Wages range from $18.50 to $33 an hour. Employees at the River Ridge site will also be eligible for an annual bonus program.

In addition to the $60 million invested into the facility, 1440 Foods is receiving $3.7 million in incentive-based tax credits and $700,000 in grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, according to the release.

What is River Ridge Commerce Center?

River Ridge Commerce Center houses facilities for Kroger, Amazon, and GE Appliances. It once produced gunpowder for World War II and the Vietnam War.

Business reporter Olivia Evans contributed reporting.

Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter

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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: River Ridge Commerce Center adds maker of Pure Protein bar