Birdsong Corporation announces new facility in Darlington County

Birdsong Corporation, a Virginia-based company that processes peanuts for worldwide distribution, announced the opening of a new facility in Darlington County Wednesday.

The announcement comes coupled with a $47.3 million investment and is expected to create 55 new jobs over five years. 

Originally started as a storage company in 1911, Birdsong Peanuts has become a world leader in the peanut industry and its South Carolina plant will be its fourth location as it already has established facilities in Georgia, Texas and Virginia.

Fred Garner of Birdsong Corporation, said he's happy to see the project come to fruition and that he looks forward to working with the business community of Darlington County.

Im happy that Birdsong Peanuts is coming to the Darlington community to build our new facility and we look forward to working with the agribusiness and business community in Darlington County for many years to come, Garner said. It's been a pleasure to get the project to this point. Were looking forward to the construction phase and getting online by September.

The North Eastern Strategic Alliance's (NESA) Executive Committee Chairman, Senator Yancey McGill, said the Birdsong Corporation announcement shows the continued strength of agribusiness throughout the region. 

More than $47 million in investments and 55 jobs shows a dedication to our region and it demonstrates that were not just partnering with the right kind of businesses, but that were moving in the right direction in how were targeting industries, McGill said. With our agribusiness initiative and the success that weve had with companies such as Birdsong Corporation, it's pretty easy to see that were on the right path as we continue to make the northeast region of South Carolina even better.

Frank Willis, executive director of the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership echoed McGill's sentiments by saying the Birdsong announcement is an indication that the region will continue to see growth in the agribusiness industry. 

Birdsong brings a long history of success and reputation of excellence to our community, Willis said. Their investment in capital and job creation in the agribusiness field opens doors of opportunity for our farming community. 

South Carolina governor Nikki Haley said the announcement was a great accomplishment for the state. 

What a great day in South Carolina as we see 55 new jobs come to Darlington, Haley said. We applaud Birdsong and their investment of $47.3 million.

For more information concerning Birdsong Corporation, visit www.birdsongpeanuts.com.

For more information, email NESA at info@nesasc.org.

The North Eastern Strategic Alliance is a regional economic development organization that serves a nine-county region in the northeast corner of South Carolina. 

NESA's primary objective is to significantly enhance the quality of life for residents of the region by creating additional jobs and capital investment within the existing industry base, recruiting new companies and expanding tourism-related development.