The Comfy Cow creating production facility, new jobs in Louisville
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Local ice cream producer and retailer The Comfy Cow soon will be in freezers across the country.
Gov. Steve Beshear and Mayor Greg Fischer announced on Thursday that The Comfy Cow plans to establish its first standalone production facility in Louisville, creating up to 50 new jobs in the process.
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The company will invest $2 million into the project, which will allow The Comfy Cow to sell its ice cream to retail establishments through the United States, according to a news release from the governor's office.
“Today's announcement is a sweet treat in a number of ways,” said Beshear. “Not only is The Comfy Cow creating 50 new jobs, but the company's growth also is a great example of how demand for Kentucky-made products is extending beyond our state's borders. I want to congratulate the company on its success and look forward to The Comfy Cow being a household name nationwide.”
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“This is exactly the kind of stories we are working to create – a homegrown, authentic and entrepreneurial business takes seed, grows within our community then achieves national success,” Fischer said. “The Comfy Cow's national growth plan also underscores yet again how vibrant and creative Louisville's food and beverage industry has become, second to none.”
The company plans to lease a 6,500 square-foot facility in Jeffersontown's Regency Pointe Business Center, the news release states. The operation is expected to be up and running by early April.
“We are beyond thrilled,” said Tim Koons-McGee, one of the original founders of the company. “The Commissary expansion will allow us to not only expand our franchise footprint regionally and nationally, but our grocery store presence as well. We are currently selling our product to Whole Foods of Louisville and have an opportunity in the near term to expand that presence to their entire Mid-Atlantic Region. Long term, we are planning on a much broader national grocery store presence. Being able to expand into a state-of-the-art facility, built to our specifications, really gives us unlimited opportunities.”
Partners Tim and Roy Koons-McGee opened the first Comfy Cow store in Louisville's Westport Village in December 2009. They also have retail locations on Frankfort Avenue, Bardstown Road and the University of Louisville campus. Currently, the ice cream for these locations is made on-site, but production will be moved to the new facility.
To encourage the investment and job growth in Jefferson County, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $350,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program, according to the news release. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
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