Japan-based sauces giant Mizkan Group is set to expand a US pasta sauce plant with a $156m investment.

The facility in Owensboro, Kentucky, will see 44 new jobs created as a result of the injection, according to a statement from the office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

Mizkan America’s project will see the company expand its Owensboro facilities by approximately 320,000 square-feet, bringing its total operational space to more than 970,000 square-feet.

The site produces Ragú and Bertolli pasta products. Mizkan America’s other brands include Holland House, Nakano and Mizkan.

Mizkan anticipates filling the additional space with new machinery and equipment, IT upgrades and related building improvements and assets to help the business “best meet the current and future needs of its customers while maintaining its position as a market leader”.

The Japanese group’s US arm is based in Mount Prospect, Illinois. The group operates 12 manufacturing facilities in the US that serve the retail, foodservice, specialty Asian and food ingredient trade channels.

“This project, which is in its design phase and will move to board approval early next year, would become a transformational project for Mizkan America,” said Koichi Yuki, CEO of Mizkan America.

“This new project would involve a substantial investment and demonstrates our strong commitment to fulfilling the needs of our customers in alignment with Mizkan’s two principles: to offer customers only the finest products and to continuously challenge the status quo.”

Mizkan acquired the Ragú and Bertolli brands from Unilever in 2014 for $2.15bn.

In the Japanese group’s fiscal 2023, it generated sales of Y160.7bn ($1.08bn) in its North America business. Total sales reached Y300.1bn while operating income stood at Y12bn.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to Y34.3bn.