Certified Origins will invest $25 million to establish its first United States production facility in Virginia, according to Glenn Youngkin, the state’s governor.
The facility will create 30 new jobs and include olive oil blending, bottling, packaging and distribution operations.
Nacho Nuez, the company’s managing director, said Certified Origins selected the port city of Newport News, Virginia, to host its first U.S. production center because of its central location, “state-of-the-art” port facilities and highly-educated workforce.
See Also:Trade NewsLocal and state officials all said they were excited to host the Tuscany-based company, which sources and blends extra virgin olive oil from Greece, Italy and Spain to produce the Bellucci brand of olive oil and other private label brands.
“We are excited that Certified Origins has chosen Newport News as the location to build their first American production facility,” said T. Montgomery Mason, a state senator. “The peninsula is an attractive place for both economic development and business expansion with our proximity to the Port of Virginia making the region an ideal spot for imports and exports.”
“Certified Origins has made a name for themselves by developing high-quality, authentic, and traceable olive oil and I am eager to welcome their brand to our community,” he added.
In 2018, the company announced that it would be working with Oracle, the world’s second-largest software firm, to enhance its supply chain traceability.
Using Oracle’s blockchain, the technology that underpins cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, Certified Origins said consumers could track the olives from the groves to the mill and the resulting oil from the mill to the bottling facility and ultimately to the supermarket shelves.
“It adds a further level of transparency and information that is valuable for consumers looking for quality products and helps us support the excellence of small farms,” Andrea Biagianti, Certified Origins’ chief information officer, said at the time.
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