D’Artagnan, Inc., a specialty food company distributor, will create 23 new jobs in Granville County, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $4 million to locate a warehouse and distribution facility in the City of Oxford.
“We are glad to welcome D’Artagnan to Granville County and North Carolina,” said Governor Cooper. “Our East Coast location and capable workforce will greatly benefit the company’s operations and growth here in the Southeast.”
Founded by French food pioneer, Ariane Daguin, in 1985, D’Artagnan has been a leading provider of high-quality meat, produce, and delicacies to high-end hotels and restaurants in the United States. The New Jersey-based company distributes natural, sustainable food raised on farms and ranches across the world to offer organic products. D’Artagnan has three business segments covering food service, retail and e-commerce that sells its food products in all 50 states. As the largest distribution site outside of New Jersey, the new Oxford location will support D’Artagnan’s expansion into the Southeast market.
“Our whole team is excited about developing our sales in this beautiful region!” says Ariane Daguin, CEO of D’Artagnan. “We have closely followed the food scene in the Carolinas and are very happy to be able to contribute to it!”
“North Carolina is within a day’s drive of more than 170 million customers in the United States,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “When you combine our location with a transportation infrastructure and a skilled pipeline of talent, distributors across all industries have the winning ingredients for success.”
The North Carolina Department of Commerce led a team of partners in supporting D’Artagnan’s decision to expand to North Carolina. Although wages will vary for each position, the average annual salary for the new positions is $46,170, which exceeds Granville County’s overall average annual wage of $45,096. The new jobs have the potential to create an annual payroll impact of more than $1 million.
A performance-based grant of $50,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help with D’Artagnan’s location to North Carolina. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. D’Artagnan must invest at least $3,695,300 to receive One NC grant payments. All One NC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
“This is another great economic development win for Granville County,” said N.C. Senator Mike Woodard. “We welcome these new jobs and $4 million investment to our community and are ready to support the company’s future success.”
“More and more companies are finding the business climate in our region ideal for their strategic growth plans,” said N.C. Representative Terry E. Garrison. “We appreciate the diligent local and state officials and economic development partners that helped bring this project to Oxford.”
Joining the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina were key partners in the project that included the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Vance-Granville Community College, Kerr-Tar Council of Governments, Granville County, Granville County Economic Development, Granville County Chamber, Granville County Public Schools, the City of Oxford, and the NCWorks Career Center Oxford.
