Philip Morris International, based in Stamford, announced Tuesday that it will invest $600 million over two years to build a new factory in Aurora, Colorado.
The facility will employ about 500 people, creating an annual economic impact of $550 million, the company said. Jobs at the plant will pay an average salary of $90,000, the announcement says.
The plant will produce ZYN oral nicotine pouches to help meet growing demand for smokeless products as PMI pivots from its focus on tobacco-burning products to other forms of delivering nicotine.
PMI acquired the maker of ZYN, Swedish Match, in late 2022.
“PMI and its U.S. affiliates are accelerating their mission to move adults who smoke away from cigarettes in the U.S. by investing in new U.S. manufacturing capacity to meet the increasing demand for nicotine options that are scientifically substantiated as better alternatives,” said Stacey Kennedy, head of PMI’s Americas and U.S. businesses.
A company spokesperson said PMI conducted a nationwide search for a site to house the new facility.
“As we look to grow and diversify our U.S. footprint, we chose Colorado for this facility based on available workforce and economic development opportunities,” Travis Parman, the spokesperson, said. “We are proud to have our headquarters in Stamford, which with our Kentucky facility helps to balance our east and west geographic representation.”
In 2022, PMI moved its headquarters from New York City to 677 Washington Blvd. in Stamford, where it employs nearly 300 people.
PMI said it will break ground on the new facility later this year and expects to start operations by the end of 2025. Production would begin in 2026.
PMI markets ZYN as a “better option for legal-age consumers who smoke and wish to continue using nicotine.”
Swedish Match also manufactures ZYN at a plant in Owensboro, Kentucky.
