Amy’s Kitchen breaks ground on production facility in Goshen, New York

Petaluma based-Amy’s Kitchen broke ground Friday on its long-planned production facility in Goshen, New York, which will become the company’s first East Coast operation.

Amy’s, a family-owned organic food company, unveiled plans for the facility in 2014, saying the new facility was necessary to meet surging demand for its organic, vegetarian and gluten-free meals in the eastern United States.

The 389,000-square-foot vegetarian kitchen and production facility will employ more than 680 people and contribute an estimated $30 million annually in salaries and compensation in the Goshen area.

“We couldn’t be more delighted to have found a community of like-minded people here in Goshen,” Amy’s CEO and co-founder Andy Berliner said in a statement.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a statement, called the new facility “one of the largest development projects in the Mid-Hudson region in decades.” He said it would create hundreds of jobs, boost the local manufacturing industry and generate economic opportunities for local residents.

Martin Espinoza