(GDN) — Mt. Olive Pickle is expanding and adding new jobs. 

Gov. Roy Cooper made the official announcement Thursday at Wayne Community College, and says this is “a big DILL” for Goldsboro and Wayne County. 

Mt. Olive Pickle Company is investing $35 million to expand its operations into two facilities in the City of Goldsboro. 

The expansion will result in the creation of 167 new jobs. 

Bobby Frye, CEO of Mt. Olive Pickle, says the company will first move into the former SPX Flow location and then into former Cheney Brothers Distribution Center.

Rep. John Bell from Wayne County says the N.C. General Assembly ensured $22 million was in the new state budget to assist with Mt. Olive Pickle’s growth in the city.

The new positions include forklift drivers, truck drivers, manufacturing staff, and managerial personnel. While the wages will vary for each position, altogether, the average annual salary for the new positions is $41,431, exceeding Wayne County’s overall average annual wage of $38,401. The new jobs have the potential to create an annual payroll impact of more than $6.9 million for the region.

A performance-based grant of $600,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help with Mt. Olive’s expansion in North Carolina. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require matching participation from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.

In addition to the N.C. Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, Wayne Community College, North Carolina Global TransPark Economic Development Region, Wayne County, Wayne County Development Alliance, North Carolina’s Southeast, City of Goldsboro, and Duke Energy.

Headquartered in Mount Olive, North Carolina, Mt. Olive Pickle Company has operated in its namesake and hometown since its founding in 1926. Manufacturing the nation’s best-selling brand of pickles, peppers, and relishes, Mt. Olive annually packs and sells more than 230 million jars of product across the United States. The company’s expansion will add two sites in Goldsboro, totaling more than 290,000 square feet, to support three more production lines, warehousing, and distribution.