Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant CAVA on Wednesday announced the official opening of its new food packaging and production facility in Verona, Va.
The 55,000-square-foot facility will have the capability to support at least 750 of CAVA restaurants and aid in the expansion of the brand’s dips, spread, and salad dressings in retail.
“CAVA Foods Verona is part of a vertically integrated model that supports our business now and over the long term,” said Brett Schulman, co-founder and CEO, in a statement. “By centrally producing our dips and spreads, we reduce complexity in our restaurants, improve costs overall, and maintain the quality, consistency, and integrity of our chef-crafted recipes at scale. We’re excited to be part of the Verona community and grateful for our ongoing partnership with Augusta County and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
This facility, which was announced during the Washington, D.C.-based company’s Q3 earnings call in November 2023, joins the chain’s 30,000-square-foot facility in Laurel, Md., to help with both restaurants and the brand’s CPG business.
The company made an initial investment of $35 million into the Virginia facility, which has the capacity to produce more than 100,000 pounds of product a day using high-pressure processing, a cold pasteurization technology.
“It is an honor to welcome CAVA to the Shenandoah Valley and celebrate the company’s plans for growth,” said Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin in a statement. “The new manufacturing facility will play a crucial role in the economic development of Augusta County, alongside the other renowned business in Mill Place Commerce Park. I look forward to the continued success of the partnership between CAVA and the Commonwealth.”
CAVA opened 72 net new units in 2023 and is expected to open 40-50 more in 2024, according to the company.