BestSweet candy to expand. Adding 37 jobs in Mooresville

February 28, 2012 admin BestSweet News

A candy maker in Mooresville that specializes in sweetening cough drops and other over-the-counter drugs is adding 37 jobs in Iredell County.

BestSweet, a confectionery products manufacturer, is investing $6.4 million over three years to expand its Mooresville operation, according to an announcement from Gov. Bev Perdue’s office Wednesday.

The manufacturer is receiving a $50,000 state grant for the project, in exchange for the a requirement that the company meet job creation and performance standards.

Salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be $39, 215, plus benefits. The Iredell County average annual wage is $36,348.

Established in 1931 in South Africa under a different business name, BestSweet relocated to New Jersey in the 1970s and then to its 40-acre site in Mooresville in 1988.

The facility produces more than 3 billion cough drops and throat drops annually, and nearly one billion soft-chew calcium supplements and antacids each year, according to the BestSweet website. The manufacturer also makes Baskin-Robbins Smooth & Creamy Hard Candy.

The company recently invested $14 million in its Mooresville operation to add 40,000-square-feet in manufacturing space, and a 140,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility. The company also recently added 70 new jobs. BestSweet currently employs 272 full time people in Iredell County, according to the governor’s office.