Plum Creek Farm, LLC is set for another expansion at its Penn Township location at 5035 Bernville Road. The rapidly growing ice cream, food and farm market operation is preparing to construct a 4,800-square-foot pretzel manufacturing facility. This will be in addition to its 12,000-square-foot building, constructed in 2020.
The $1.7 million project is made possible in part thorough a $400,000 loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA). Plum Creek has committed to creating 15 new, full-time jobs and retaining 16 jobs within three years.
Greater Berks Development Fund (GBDF), an affiliate of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA), is the Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO) of Berks County, who packages and underwrites PIDA loan submissions on behalf of Berks County companies.
In 2019, Plum Creek Farm endeavored to construct a new 12,000-square-foot building to accommodate year-round service while also expanding its space for produce sales and food/ice cream production. The total project cost for the 2019 project was $3.4 million. Financing for the project was secured with a PIDA loan of $1 million, SBA 504 loan of $1.38 million, bank financing through Tompkins Community Bank and equity for the balance. The new building was completed in 2020.
In 2019, Plum Creek owner, Keith Zimmerman said, “We feel blessed by the growth we’ve experienced at Plum Creek and believe this expansion will allow us to continue to cheerfully serve our customers and community for many years.”
Administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), the PIDA loan program provides low-interest loans and lines of credit to Pennsylvania businesses that commit to creating and retaining full-time jobs within the commonwealth, as well as for the development of industrial parks and multi-tenant facilities. Loan applications are packaged and underwritten by a network of CEDOs — Greater Berks Development Fund in Berks — that partner with PIDA.
PIDA financing can be used for:
- Land and building acquisitions
- Construction and renovation costs
- Machinery and equipment purchases
- Working capital and accounts receivable lines of credit
- Working capital term loans
To learn more about financing options, visit our website.
Check out news coverage on the loan of Plum Creek’s newest expansion project: