Malevale CEO Keith Rogers meets with members of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency. P-J photo by Gregory Bacon

A Falconer food distribution company is looking to move to the Findley Lake area.

During the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency meeting, board members reviewed plans for Maplevale Farms to relocate from 2063 Allen Street Extension in the town of Ellicott just outside the village to a new facility in the town of Mina.

The move, explained Chief Operating Officer Keith Rogers, is the new location will allow them to expand in the future as well as provide easier access to I-86.

The county IDA is still reviewing potential tax incentives for the relocation and no final decision has been made.

Rogers said originally they were going to move Maplevale Farms to Pennsylvania but because of potential IDA incentives, as well as other state incentives, they decided to purchase property at 3196 Route 426. The property is currently a farm.

Initial estimates are it will cost $41.3 million to construct a new refrigerated warehouse facility and will create 300-400 temporary positions.

Maplevale currently has 213 jobs. All of those positions are expected to transfer once the new warehouse is constructed. They’re also expecting to immediately add another 23 jobs.

“We’ve been committed to operating out of Chautauqua County for nearly 75 years and want to continue that commitment for years and decades to come,” Rogers said. “We very much appreciate the support for the CCIDA, Chautauqua County, and the town of Mina and are excited to see this project move forward.”

The county IDA is expected to vote on tax incentives for the project in August.

Rogers said they want to start construction on the new warehouse facility in the fall and be completed by the first quarter of 2027.

Once they leave their current location, the county is expected to help market the property.

See additional information in Wednesday’s Post-Journal.