Upstate spec property meets sandwich company needs

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E.A. Sween Co., a supplier in the ready-to-eat sandwich industry will invest $38 million in Greenwood operations and create an expected 300 new jobs.

Founded in 1955, E.A. Sween Co. is a third generation, private company that produces and ships sandwiches and other ready-to-eat products across the United States. Its brands include Deli Express, Market Sandwich, San Luis Burritos and Simply Delicious Bakery. The company sells more than 100 million sandwiches each year, according to a news release.

“The entire E.A. Sween Co. team is thrilled to announce our new Greenwood County location,” Tom H. Sween, president and CEO, said in the news release. “From the moment we first visited the community, we knew it was a perfect fit. South Carolina is a place where people, partnerships, relationships and opportunity matter to everyone we came across. This is an incredibly important moment in our history as we expand our business and bring quality products closer to our customers in the Southeast and beyond.”

Located at 5730 U.S. Highway 25 North in Hodges, E.A. Sween Co.’s new Greenwood County operation will help double the capacity of the company’s sandwich production, the release said. When the facility is fully operational, the company expects to produce an additional 75 million sandwiches a year.

"Today’s announcement is one of great importance as it is not only the largest number of jobs created in our county since 2013, but also because we are welcoming a wonderful, family-owned company into our community and into our North Greenwood Industrial Park spec building,” Greenwood County Council Chair Chuck Moates said in the release. “We are appreciative of E.A. Sween Co.’s belief in our county and that our taxpayers and county leaders had the foresight that allowed us to develop the land and construct this building. We thank E.A. Sween Co. for their investment and wish them tremendous success.”

The facility is expected to be online in the third quarter of 2023. 

“E.A. Sween Co.’s decision to locate their newest facility in Greenwood shows that the Upstate continues to be a key location for food and beverage companies,” Upstate SC Alliance President and CEO John Lummus said in the release. “Our region’s proximity to consumer markets and logistical advantages, combined with an available, trained workforce, makes Upstate South Carolina an ideal location as companies look for an East Coast location. Congratulations to Greenwood County on this great win.”

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job development credits related to this project.