Georgia Commissioner of Economic Development Pat Wilson

ATLANTA – Fresh-prepared meal delivery service Freshly Inc. is expanding its presence in Georgia.

The company announced Tuesday plans to open a distribution operation in Clayton County. The $52 million investment will create 665 jobs.

“It’s great to see Freshly continue to find success in Georgia and expand their presence in the Southeast,” Gov. Brian Kemp said.

New York-based Freshly opened its first Southeastern distribution center in Cobb County earlier this year. The new facility in Ellenwood will help the fast-growing company meet increasing demand sparked by customers’ desire during the coronavirus pandemic to eat their meals at home.

“Over the past year, Freshly has experience substantial growth as consumer demand continues to grow for convenient and nutritious meal options,” said Mike Wystrach, Freshly’s founder and CEO. “Tapping into Clayton County’s tremendous pool of talent, the second facility will allow us to increase capacity for efficient assembly and distribution of our chef-prepared meals.”

Freshly plans to begin hiring at the new center for positions in warehousing, operations and maintenance. Interested applicants should visit Freshly’s careers page for more information.

Director Hank Evans of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce Division worked with the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Clayton County Office of Economic Development, Electric Cities of Georgia and the state Department of Labor’s Quick Start program on the project.

“Just four months after announcing Freshly’s initial investment in Georgia, it is exciting to see them continue to expand here and create hundreds of jobs in Georgia, state Commissioner of Economic Development Pat Wilson said. “Freshly’s growth in the state is a testament to how well companies have adapted to rapidly changing consumer behavior and to Georgia, with our strong logistics infrastructure, being the ideal place for companies within this growing sector to locate and expand.”