CHICAGO — Snack foods maker Benestar Brands LLC has announced plans to invest $24 million to build a new production plant in Kings Mountain, NC. Benestar Brands is the parent company of Evans Food Group, a snack food maker focused on better-for-you snacks.

Benestar said the new facility will provide easier access to the company’s customer base and the nation’s East Coast market, and also will support Benestar Brands’ expansion into new snack categories.

“After an extensive search throughout the southeast, we selected Kings Mountain, NC, for our newest production facility based on the state’s strong support of the manufacturing industry and talented workforce,” said Carl E. Lee Jr., chief executive officer of Benestar Brands. “Over the past year, our company has expanded our portfolio of innovative savory snacks, entering new categories that will be produced at this plant. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with the state of North Carolina as we expand our company.”

Benestar said the expansion will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the course of the 12-year term of the grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s GDP by more than $431 million, Benestar said.

Private investment firm Highlander Partners, LP acquired Evans Food Group in August 2019. Evans Food Group has a presence in more than a dozen countries in North America, Latin America and Asia. The company has five manufacturing operations in the United States and one in Saltillo, Mexico. Its branded portfolio includes Mac’s, Turkey Creek, Don Rudy, Cazo de Oro and Domingo’s. The company was acquired by Wind Point Partners in 2016.