WESTERVILLE, OHIO — Lancaster Colony Corp. has announced it is moving ahead with a 184,500-square-foot expansion at its T. Marzetti Co.’s facility in Horse Cave, Ky. The company makes salad dressings, sauces and other foods for retail and foodservice markets at the facility.

The expansion project was first announced in February 2020 but was put on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. Work is now underway to create additional manufacturing space, Lancaster said. The company also plans to purchase new equipment to increase dressing and sauce production, add eight new processing kitchens and create several packaging lines to meet growing customer demand. The project is expected t0 be completed by July 2022.

Lancaster’s investment in the project is now forecast at $133 million, up from $93 million previously. The expansion also will increase the expected number of full-time jobs to 220 from 140, the company said.

“This expansion builds on the partnership that we have enjoyed with the people of Kentucky since our parent company built our first facility here in 2005,” said Dave Nagle, chief supply chain officer at Marzetti. “Without the good work and commitment to our company-wide goal of ‘being better’ from the more than 500 employees already on site, we would not have the faith to make this investment, the largest in Marzetti’s 100-year history.”

Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky thanked Marzetti for its commitment to the community.

“As we work to build back our economy and ensure a brighter future for Kentuckians, the same can be said of companies like T. Marzetti Co.,” Mr. Beshear said. “This company already announced a substantial expansion this time last year, and its leaders have taken that project a step further to provide even more quality jobs for residents in and around Hart County.”

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Marzetti was acquired by Lancaster Colony in 1969. Lancaster Colony is also the parent company of several other food companies, including Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls Inc., which produces frozen dinner rolls at its facility adjacent to the Marzetti operation in Horse Cave.