MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt formally welcomed the state-of-the-art beverage manufacturing facility, Mountaintop Beverage, to Morgantown, W.Va. Commissioner Leonhardt and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) has been working with the company since 2019 to secure a location in the Mountain State. The company will be fully operational by the fourth quarter of this year.

“This is one of the largest business development projects West Virginia has ever seen. Mountaintop will directly create 300-400 jobs and another 300-600 jobs downstream. At the same time, they will show West Virginia can be home to food and beverage manufacturing,” said Commissioner Leonhardt. “We are excited to have them.”

Mountaintop’s initial phase will be a 475,000 sq. ft. facility with plans to expand to upwards of 750,000 sq. ft. in the coming years. The facility will produce coffee, dairy and other beverage products. In addition, the company plans to work with West Virginia foodbanks and backpack programs to tackle food insecurity in the Mountain State.

The WVDA funded an economic impact study on behalf of the company in June of 2019 to determine market feasibility and help locate possible business sites. The total investment for this project will be over $300 million.

“This is the kind of project we sought when my administration created the Agriculture Business Development Division. Developments like these are not only vital for economic development but for food security, as well. The more we attract these types of businesses, the greater resiliency we create in our local food system,” Leonhardt said.

The company plans to utilize as much of the local workforce as possible when it comes to construction and production. The WVDA will be working with Mountaintop to increase milk production within the state to meet the facility’s needs. In addition, the Department has been working with the Governor’s office to expand the Harmony Grove exit to handle increased traffic demands generated by the facility.

For more information, contact Crescent Gallagher at 304-380-3922 or cgallagher@wvda.us.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials who sits on the Board of Public Works.