MADISON COUNTY Production has begun at Nestlé in Anderson

MADISON COUNTY
Production has begun at Nestlé in Anderson

After nearly two years of planning, construction and hiring, Nestlé Corp. has begun churning out Nesquik Ready-to-Drink and Coffee-mate liquid products from its $360 million plant in Anderson.

The Swiss company announced in July 2006 that it would build the 880,000-squarefoot plant and create 300 jobs. Nestlé subsequently expanded those plans, resulting in a building of about 1 million square feet.

The company has hired about 160 workers and expects to ramp up to the full 300 by the end of the year, said Linda Dawson, executive director for economic and community development for Anderson.

Nestlé’s economic impact to the Anderson area has been estimated at $95 million a year. The new employees are expected to dump $12 million into the local economy and create 200 support jobs in health care and in service industries, according to the city’s Corporation for Economic Development.

Nestlé is hoping to win approval to hoist a 45-foot-tall replica of the Nesquik Bunny along Interstate 69 to ensure passing motorists know what’s happening in the Madison County city. That request is still pending before the Anderson City Council and the Indiana Department of Transportation.