HAZELWOOD, Mo. — A maker of fruit, nuts and pasta products that's owned by St. Louis-based Post Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POST) will build a plant in Hazelwood, as it hires more than 300.
8th Avenue Food & Provisions Inc. said it is building the 250,000-square-foot plant — which will prep and package snack nuts, trail mix and dried fruit for retail, food service and ingredient customers — at 4801 Trade Access Blvd. The property is owned by an entity tied to NorthPoint Development of Kansas City.
8th Avenue's fruit and nut manufacturing plant is relocating from Burnaby, Canada.
Charles Sargent, plant manager at 8th Avenue, said the Hazelwood building would open in January, but that the company is hiring now, including for supervisors and entry-level jobs in quality, operations, production, warehouse, forklift operations, sanitation and maintenance across three shifts.
The company, he said, "is putting a $50 million-plus investment in the St. Louis economy."
Sargent was born and raised in East St. Louis, served in the Navy for six years, and has held positions with Nestle, Procter & Gamble and, most recently, McCormick Spices in Springfield, Missouri, 8th Avenue said.
Post in 2018 formed 8th Avenue as a subsidiary for its private-label foods business. As part of that deal, Post was to receive $875 million from Boston private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, the co-owner of the operation.
Post said then that by retaining an ownership stake in 8th Avenue, it would participate in the company's growth "while preserving the option to pursue a tax-efficient separation of its remaining position in 8th Avenue."
Read the full story on the St. Louis Business Journal's website.