Take a look at the existing food and beverage businesses that are currently reaping the benefits of being located in Florence County.
Food and Beverage
Bring Food to the Masses from Florence County
Over the course of 200 years, Florence County has developed a rich agricultural history and agribusiness supply chain that makes it the area ideal for food manufacturers and distributors to call home. Located within 10 hours of more than a third of the United States population, our region is perfect for the distribution of perishable or fresh food products along the East Coast and beyond.
- With many existing major food processors already utilizing Florence County’s ideal location, the region has a built-in workforce well-versed in meat and poultry processing, frozen foods, shelf-stable food production, and food service distribution.
- The Pee Dee region hosts more than 23% of South Carolina’s cultivable farmland and produces about 21% of the state’s annual receipts. Many food processors have put an emphasis on sourcing locally, meeting with the area’s farmers to become customers for fre
- South Carolina has identified several sites with high-tolerance waste-water systems, which benefits the food processing industry by lowering the cost of operation and decreasing pretreatment requirements.
- Fewer than 1% of environmental permits are challenged in the state of South Carolina, with the DHEC giving priority permitting review to new facilities. Environmental impact statements are not required in South Carolina, which also helps expedite permittin
Farm-to-Fork Success Stories
Cheney Brothers, Inc., based in Riviera Beach, FL, was founded in 1925 and is currently under construction with a 386,000 SF distribution facility in Florence County. The Florence facility, located on nearly 50 acres in the Pee Dee Commerce City East — across I-95 from Buc-ee’s — will be the company’s first in South Carolina. The facility is set to open by 2026.
Located in Florence County since its founding in 1838, McCall Farms has built an agricultural legacy growing from a 2,000-acre farm in Effingham into a nationally renowned canning operation with brands like Glory Foods, Allen’s, Bruce’s Yams, and Margaret Holmes under its umbrella.
Since 1963, beverage manufacturer Niagara Bottling has been providing customers with healthy and sustainable hydration via high-quality bottled water and beverage products. In 2020, the company brought their beverages to Florence County in the form of a $150 million investment and a 750,000 sq. ft. bottling facility.
Pepsi of Florence offers a variety of vending and fountain configurations with 24/7 customer service to ensure consumers can always access their favorite Pepsi drink. Since 1936, they have grown from operating with two route trucks to 24 routes across South Carolina.
Performance Foodservice selected Florence for the location of their 350,000 sq. ft. distribution center due to its prime location for Carolina-based logistics. They now deliver over 150,000 food and food-related products to customers nationwide.
Ruiz Farms has built a legacy of making delicious Mexican food with brands like El Monterey and Tornados. The company launched its Florence manufacturing facility in 2014, bringing America’s No. 1 frozen Mexican food to the East Coast, and has continued to expand with over 1000 employees at the location.
Serving southeastern communities since 1922, Florence County-based wholesale and retail grocery company W. Lee Flowers & Co. is one of our region’s largest grocery distributors operating a 400,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Scranton alongside 62 Kj’s Market and IGA grocery stores across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Family owned and operated since 1966, Yahnis is a full-service beverage distributor operating in Florence County whose continued success is a direct result of the hard work of their 200 employees. With an evolving portfolio of beers, soft drinks, and juices, Yahnis upholds high quality standards for their brands to ensure customer satisfaction.
