Taylorsville area King’s Hawaiian plant formally announced

Plans for a giant Kings Hawaiian bakery in northwestern Bartholomew County are formally being announced by the company.

The proposal to bring up to an $180 million investment has been in the works through local economic development efforts and government approvals for months. However Irresistible Foods Group made its official announcement Thursday.

The facility just off of the intersection of Interstate 65 and U.S. 31 in Taylorsville will be the company’s first U.S. Midwest production site. The company plans to employ 150 people with an average wage of nearly $30 an hour.

Initial plans are for an $80 to $90 million investment in a 300,000 square foot facility, but that could expand to a half million square feet with a total of $180 million investment. The 88 acre parcel is at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Interstate 65 just off Hubler Drive.

Bartholomew County has agreed to provide $3.7 million in infrastructure improvements in the area, including water and sewer upgrades, a new traffic signal at U.S. 31 and Bear Drive and reconfiguring Hubler Drive to provide better access. $2.7 million of that money will come from the county’s Rainy Day Fund, with another $646,000 from county economic development income taxes and $400,000 in grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

The company plans to begin construction next year with operations starting in 2026 of 2027.