Cava opens Verona production and packaging facility

Nearly three years after announcing its initial plans, Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand Cava has opened a production and packaging facility in Augusta County’s Mill Place Commerce Park. The company held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility in May.

The Washington, D.C.-based company invested roughly $35 million to open the 55,000-square-foot facility to help centralize production of Cava’s signature packaged dips and spreads. First announced in September 2021, the Verona operation now serves 323 Cava restaurants across the country, with capacity to serve up to 750 locations. The facility features a low-emissions, energy-efficient carbon dioxide refrigeration system and high-pressure processing, a cold pasteurization technology that helps retain flavor and nutrition. Those equipment investments increased Cava’s initial capital outlay, but the company says it will save costs over time, eliminate third-party shipping and control a critical food safety step.

“We are really excited to welcome Cava to Augusta County and specifically our commerce park. Recruiting manufacturers is one of our top priorities, so Cava is a good fit for the county,” says Rebekah Castle, Augusta County’s director of economic development and marketing. “Around 22% of the county’s workforce is in manufacturing, so our local labor pool is well-trained to support Cava’s goals as well.”

As of May, the facility employed 32 Virginians, with plans to staff up to 52 employees working a couple of daily shifts, says Cava Chief Manufacturing Officer Chris Penny.

“We built the Verona facility with expansion in mind, including our physical footprint. We expect a very linear growth over the next five or so years, and plan to steadily invest more capital into the facility, whether storage [or] equipment, as we open new restaurants,” Penny explains.

The Augusta County facility is strategically located along the Interstate 81 corridor, an important artery for East Coast commerce.

Its break room “overlooks the mountains and has a beautiful sunset. We really wanted to design a welcoming environment for our employees and consider how they feel when they show up to work, as well as how we show up to them,” says Penny.

At full capacity, the facility can process more than 100,000 pounds of product a day, amounting to over 4 million pounds of tzatziki alone annually. The Verona facility joins an existing Laurel, Maryland, production hub, focused on Cava’s rapidly expanding retail business in grocery chains like Whole Foods Market and Giant.