DanoneWave announces $60 million expansion in Rockingham County

DanoneWave announced a $60 million expansion Wednesday that is expected to create up to 49 jobs in Rockingham County.

The food company will add production capacity and expand its warehouse in Mt. Crawford. Its brands include Activia, Dannon and Horizon Organic dairy products, International Delight coffee creamers and iced coffee, Oikos Greek yogurt, and Silk foods and beverages.

“DanoneWave’s decision to expand at the Mt. Crawford facility, which employs more than 500 Virginians, is a big win for Rockingham County, the region, and the Commonwealth,” Todd Haymore, Virginia’s secretary of commerce and trade, said in a statement.

DanoneWave will receive a $700,000 performance-based grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership program for the project. The company will also be eligible to utilize sales and use tax exemptions on manufacturing equipment. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

DanoneWave is a business unit of Danone and operates from headquarters in White Plains, N.Y., and Broomfield, Colo. Danone formed the company following the acquisition of WhiteWave Foods.

Virginia competed against Pennsylvania for the project.