The City of Atmore and Coastal Growers LLC will welcome Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to Atmore as part of the groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new peanut shelling facility.
The ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. at the construction site, located in the Atmore Industrial Park, across from Masland Carpets.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the groundbreaking for Coastal Growers, which will be a first-class peanut production facility,” Gov. Ivey said. “Coastal Growers is proving that Alabama’s economy remains strong and is bouncing back from what has been a hard year. This partnership is a win-win for Atmore, the surrounding communities and the state of Alabama.”
The $87 million project will serve as an epicenter for peanut processing in south Alabama. More than 100 farmers will have an ownership stake in the company, which was organized in early 2021 as a cooperative to give Alabama farmers an additional outlet for peanut shelling and increased profits from their crop.
“This is an important day not only in Atmore’s history, but the history of the Alabama peanut industry as a whole,” said Jess Nicholas, CEO of Centerfire Economic and executive director of Escambia County Industrial Development Authority. “The economic impact of this project, to both the community and to the farmers and their families, is something we expect to have a transformative effect on our area in the years to come.”
Photo (Ditto Gorme): Construction continued last Friday (Mar. 5) in advance of Wednesday’s groundbreaking. ceremony