American wine mega-company Gallo is planning to build a new bottling plant in South Carolina. According to various reports, the new facility will serve as the main hub in the eastern US. Gallo is based in Modesto, California, which is also where the majority of its wines originate.
According to the report, the world's largest wine company wants to invest more than $400 million USD. Around 500 jobs would be created as a result. "This should really be our home on the East Coast for decades for the Gallo company," vice president Rob Donoho says.
Various formats will be able to be bottled at the new facility, including glass, cans, bag-in-box and small plastic bottles. "As a West Coast wine grape producer, we have a logistical disadvantage when it comes to getting product to our customers," Donoho said. He said that shipping heavy glass bottles and boxes across the country is very expensive and that it is much cheaper to transport the unfilled wine and source glass and other packaging locally.
The site will also serve as a storage and distribution centre for wines already filled in California. It is not known when the facility will be completed and begin operation. aw
