BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — Yakult U.S.A., a Japanese probiotic beverage company, will build its second U.S. facility in Bartow County.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced the new business development Tuesday via a news release. His office said it would create more than 90 new jobs with the company expected to invest around $305 million with its new beverage production facility.
This new facility will be the company's second U.S. outpost to be created in nearly a decade. The U.S. arm of the Tokyo-based company was formed in 1990. Its first product manufacturing facility in the U.S. was completed in 2014 in California. This new facility is expected to open in 2026 and is anticipated to be bigger.
"Yakult was created in Japan in 1935 and has more than 80 years of history," Yutaka Misumi, the president and CEO of Yakult U.S.A. said in a news release.
Misumi said it's bringing that history to Georgia to help meet business needs, highlighting how the location makes logistics easier from product fulfillment to distribution.
"We believe that the new facility will be the main supplier for eastern and central U.S. markets," Misumi said. "We are pleased that we will provide more opportunities for our customers in the U.S. with the opening of this new location."
Yakult's new facility will stand at Highland 75 Corporate/Industrial Park, about 45 minutes northwest of Atlanta. The company said it will be hiring full-time managers and assistants including staff positions in human resources, machine operation and maintenance, quality control and warehouse roles.
Beyond jobs, Yakult also provides free tours to the public to teach visitors about the benefits of probiotics and how to produce dairy products.
"With a reliable logistics network that connects Georgia companies with markets across the world, we continue to attract world-class companies like Yakult U.S.A.," Kemp said in a prepared statement.
