Frontier Co-Op receives $300,000 in state funding, will create 24 jobs

Iowa Economic Development Authority approved $300,462 in credits for Frontier Co-Op's warehouse improvements and expansion in Benton County Friday morning.

The Norway-based herbs and spices supplier is expanding its warehouse by 22,000 square feet and increasing its capacity with new bottling lines and fillers.

'We continue to face unprecedented demand for our products and are grateful for the opportunity to keep expanding in Benton County,” said Tony Bedard, chief executive officer of Frontier Co-Op, in a statement.

The project, which will create 24 jobs, will cost about $7.4 million. Warehouse expansion is slated to be complete by April 2022. The new pouch line and fillers will be done by December 2021, according to IEDA documents.

The Benton County Board of Supervisors also plans to provide $153,000 via a five-year sliding scale property tax exemption.

The state credits come through IEDA's High Quality Jobs Program. Participating businesses must pay at least 120 percent of the qualifying wage threshold for any new or retained jobs, which will be $27.84 per hour.

Frontier Co-Op already has 406 employees at its Norway location, according to IEDA documents. It provides herbs and spices for many grocery stores in the United States and Canada.

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