British food maker investing nearly $36 million and adding 200 jobs in NC

A British-based food manufacturer will invest nearly $36 million and add more than 200 jobs over the next five years expanding production to North Carolina, the NC Economic Investment Committee said Monday.

Veetee Foods Inc., which makes dry rice and ready-to-heat rice products, will open a manufacturing plant in Selma, about 32 miles southeast of Raleigh, for its expansion into flavored prepared foods.

For its investment, Veetee Foods will receive $1.8 million in state tax incentives over 12 years approved by the state economic committee in a meeting Monday for “Project Tray.” The company also will receive $2.3 million in incentives from Johnston County.

The Selma plant will create 200 jobs over five years from 2026 to 2030, opening with one production line and eventually expanding to five, said Jamie Martin, Job Development Investment Grant manager said during the specially called meeting.

The company’s annual wage will be $58,387, higher than the county’s average wage of $50,605.

Veetee Foods will be cooking rice, pastas, noodles, spaghetti and a variety of other foods with domestically sourced ingredients without preservatives through a technology developed over 20 years in its U.K. factory, Martin said.

Veetee Foods narrowed its search late last year to Selma and Chester, South Carolina. Selma was ideal for several reasons including proximity to direct daily flights to Europe, quality of available labor, infrastructure and competitive real estate pricing, Martin said.

Veetee Food Group, a privately held company founded in 1986 and based in Rochester, Kent, England, has more than 1,000 employees with operations in India and the U.K., according to a news release from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office.