Move supports growing demand for natural color solutions in food and beverage products
FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 31, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted further momentum within the state’s manufacturing and food and beverage industries as ADM, a global leader in innovative solutions from nature, announced an investment of more than $16 million to expand the company’s Boone County facility and create more than 40 new jobs.
“I want to thank ADM for reinvesting in Kentucky, creating new jobs in the Northern Kentucky region and growing their presence in the commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our economy continues to thrive, and this is the type of project that positions our state for even more growth. ADM’s leaders are showing that they believe in the future of Kentucky, and I look forward to their continued success.”
The expansion will provide an additional 14,000 square feet of manufacturing space by early 2027, allowing ADM to significantly increase the capacity of liquid and dry-blended color solutions already produced at the facility. This builds on a recent $26 million investment in its neighboring Erlanger facility to strengthen capabilities for growing food and beverage reformulation demands. The expansion reinforces ADM’s commitment to its customers along with the Northern Kentucky community.
“As customers respond to evolving consumer preferences and changing regulatory landscapes, color has become a crucial part of successful reformulation,” said Calvin McEvoy, ADM’s president of global flavors. “This investment strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality, reliable and scalable natural color solutions from our Colors From Nature portfolio to our customers, further positioning Northern Kentucky as a critical hub for our North American colors business.”
ADM is a global agricultural supply chain manager and processor with a broad variety of food and beverage ingredients and formulation expertise. ADM came to Northern Kentucky in 2014 through the company’s acquisition of WILD Flavors and currently employs more than 1,300 workers at various regional facilities. Through continued investment in production capabilities, innovative technology and local talent, ADM has expanded the roles these facilities play in serving food and beverage customers across North America.
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore spoke on the job opportunities the project will create: “ADM’s continued investment is a strong reflection of Northern Kentucky’s ability to support innovative manufacturers as they grow. This expansion will create quality jobs while strengthening our region’s food and beverage manufacturing sector and helping ADM meet growing demand for naturally derived color solutions.
Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette noted the partnership between the community and ADM: “ADM has been an exceptional partner for the city of Erlanger, and we wish them success with this continued expansion of their Northern Kentucky campus. This investment reinforces the strength of Northern Kentucky’s skilled workforce and our region’s position as an ideal location for large companies to grow.”
ADM’s investment and job creation furthers what has been the best six-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,300 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $50 billion in announced investments, creating more than 70,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $29 billion more than the next highest total.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the battery capital of the United States: AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Ford Motor Co.’s $2 billion, 2,200-job commitment in Louisville, as well as its $2 billion, 2,100-job project at the Kentucky 1 plant in Hardin County; Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County; and Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County, among others.
The Governor announced Kentucky once again set an all-time record for products shipped globally, with $51.6 billion in exports in 2025, representing a 7.65% increase over 2024.
Unemployment rates fell in all 120 counties between December 2024 and December 2025.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
In addition, Kentucky has secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2025 Governor’s Cup rankings. In June, Area Development magazine awarded the commonwealth a Silver Shovel designation in its 2025 Shovel Awards, which highlight states for attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) this week preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $305,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $16 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 25 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $32.50, including benefits, across those jobs.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, ADM can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
For more information on ADM, visit ADM.com.
A detailed community profile for Boone County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
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