A German cookie and snack manufacturer has acquired a company in Mississippi and plans to expand its operations in the U.S. market, state and company officials said.
Griesson-de Beukelaer said that it will buy the similarly named DeBeukelaer Corp. from its founders — including its Pirouline brand and its facility in Gluckstadt, Mississippi — while state economic development officials said that Griesson-de Beukelaer would build a new facility in nearby Madison, Mississippi.
Mississippi leaders said that the company, “one of Germany’s leading manufacturers of cookies and snack products,” is expected to invest over $70 million in the projects and add 30 jobs.
GdB officials said that the Mississippi expansion would open new opportunities in the U.S. market. It is slated to receive a tax incentive package from the state and additional assistance from Madison County agencies; terms of the incentives were not disclosed.
“With the acquisition of DeBeukelaer Corporation, we are consistently implementing our growth strategy and fulfilling a long-held dream, also of our father, Heinz Gries,” Susanne Gries, chair of the board of trustees of the Gottlieb Anton Foundation, said in a company statement. “Not only the historically rooted similarity in name, but also the shared entrepreneurial DNA of both family businesses strengthens our confidence that this step will successfully shape the future of our company."
