TAYLORSVILLE– Grillo’s Pickles has officially announced plans for a new $54 million food manufacturing plant in northern Bartholomew County, near Columbus, Indiana, to meet growing national demand. The 155,000-square-foot production facility, located in Taylorsville, is expected to employ 150 people.
The new Grillo’s Pickles facility will be located next to a previously announced King’s Hawaiian bakery operation, both of which are subsidiaries of Irresistible Foods Group. A groundbreaking recently occurred for the new facility, which will be situated off I-65. Joe Leonardo, vice president of strategic operations for Irresistible Foods Group and chief operating officer of King’s Hawaiian, stated that the Bartholomew County site was purchased with plans to build it out in phases.
The King’s Hawaiian bakery facility, a 300,000-square-foot plant, was announced in December 2023 and was also expected to employ 150 people.
To support the project, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) has pledged up to $1.4 million in tax credits, contingent on job creation. The Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. also approved, including up to $1 million from the State of Indiana’s READI 2.0 funds for the Taylorsville Industrial Park. These funds will be used for intersection improvements at U.S. 31 and Bear Lane and the extension of County Road 700 North on the southern edge of the industrial park.
Bartholomew County officials have also committed support, pledging up to $3,746,000 from a combination of County Rainy Day Fund and County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) funds for off-site water, sewer, and road improvement upgrades to serve the project site. In June, county officials unanimously approved a 10-year property tax phase-in for the new Grillo’s Pickles building and equipment, which is expected to result in approximately $1.2 million in savings for the company.
