Work will begin this month on the latest addition to the Ballarat West Employment Zone - the Nhill-based Luv-a-Duck is moving in with a $20 million facility.
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Vaughan Constructions, which is building the centre, said in a media release the project will create 118 jobs during the construction phase, and 35 ongoing jobs.
The company first committed to the BWEZ site in July 2018 - as reported at the time, Nhill will continue to be the base for Luv-a-Duck's primary processing operations.
Luv-a-Duck has duck farms in western Victoria, and produces duck-based food products for retail and export.
According to the media release, the new Ballarat facility will comprise a total building area of 8600 square metres, including a 4000sqm production area, a 3300sqm temperature controlled space, 1300sqm of office space, and 4450sqm of hardstand.
In a statement, Vaughan Constructions' senior development manager Chris Telley said the company had been running out of space at its Port Melbourne warehouse and Nhill processing plant.
In an online statement, Luv-a-Duck chief executive James Thompson said this week agribusiness in Australia "has a bright future".
The family-owned business, now 51 years old, has a Ballarat connection - current owners Theresa Sfetkidis and Kim Shoppee-Lynch's grandfather Charles Collett Shoppee was mayor of Ballarat on three separate occasions at the turn of the century.
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In August 2019, Luv-a-Duck representatives described the project as a "value-add" facility, and expected work to begin around Christmas.
According to the media release, work on the project is expected to be completed by November, and could "boost the local economy by $16.7 million during the construction phase".
Luv-a-Duck was contacted for comment.
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