Food & Beverage

Evolutionary Processing

Learn why some of the world’s most recognizable food and beverage producers choose to be in the Lehigh Valley in this short video about the economic assets for the industry in the region.

The food and beverage processing industry is in the midst of significant upheaval, and the Lehigh Valley has exactly the correct combination of economic assets to allow companies to take advantage of those changes.

Lehigh County is home to more beverage manufacturing companies than any other Pennsylvania county.

As customer demands have changed, numerous new subsector opportunities have arisen in the food and beverage processing sector. The Lehigh Valley boasts a unique mix of assets to accommodate this fast-changing industry, including a central location with a well-developed transportation infrastructure, agricultural products for food processing, and the availability of water and sewer capacity lines.

•
•
•
•
•
•
•





An economic analysis by the Atlanta-based Garner Economics identified food & beverage processing as a target sector for the Lehigh Valley based on these factors, among others:

Central location and proximity to major U.S. Northeast markets
Well-developed transportation infrastructure
Strong existing local pool of high-demand occupations
Availability of agricultural products for food processing
Water and sewer capacity
Availability of water and sewer lines to industrial sites
111 annual post-secondary completions in critical fields from local institutions
Presence of Lehigh University’s Center for Manufacturing Systems Engineering
Local manufacturing sector exhibits a strong local competitive effect
Strong healthcare system
Quality of place assets: ample opportunities for cultural activities, recreation, shopping, restaurants, and sporting events

For more information, click here to download the full Garner-Economics report