Zephyrhills Wins a Four-State Manufacturing Competition as Monin Plans $111 Million Facility
A 70-acre production and distribution campus could signal that Pasco County’s long-promoted industrial strategy is beginning to deliver measurable results.
For years, Zephyrhills was discussed primarily as a residential growth market on the outer edge of Tampa Bay.
That description is becoming outdated.
French-owned flavoring company Monin plans to purchase 70 acres in the Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park for a new production and distribution facility serving customers across the United States. The company expects to invest more than $111 million during the project’s initial phase and hire more than 100 employees. Once fully operational, the facility is projected to support 173 ongoing jobs and generate approximately $53.9 million in annual economic output.
Those figures make this more than another corporate expansion announcement.
Monin evaluated 10 sites across four states before selecting Zephyrhills. Company executives identified labor availability, site readiness, long-term manufacturing potential and proximity to Monin’s existing Clearwater operation as key factors in the decision.
In commercial real estate, that competitive process may be the most important part of the story.
The Land Was Prepared Before the Company Arrived
Major manufacturers rarely begin their search by asking which community has the most attractive promotional campaign. They begin with infrastructure, utilities, entitlement risk, available labor and the speed at which a site can become operational.
The Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park contains approximately 335 acres next to Zephyrhills Municipal Airport and the CSX rail corridor. The property has been marketed through Pasco County’s Ready Sites program, with Duke Energy and Pasco Economic Development Council previously evaluating and promoting the site through dedicated readiness programs.
That preparation matters because industrial users increasingly place a premium on certainty.
A company prepared to invest more than $100 million does not want to spend years resolving land-use questions, utility capacity or off-site infrastructure obligations. A site that has already undergone technical review can eliminate months—or potentially years—from the development process.
The Monin decision suggests that Pasco County’s investment in prepared industrial land is no longer theoretical. It is becoming a competitive advantage.
A Food-Manufacturing Cluster Is Beginning to Form
Monin will not be the first internationally recognized food company to establish a major presence in the park.
Pasco EDC lists Brazilian baked-goods manufacturer Bauducco Foods as another major industrial-park investment, with a planned 403,000-square-foot footprint, approximately 600 jobs and $233 million in capital investment.
Monin CEO Bill Lombardo specifically referenced the presence of Zephyrhills Bottled Water and Bauducco Foods when discussing the company’s selection of the community.
That is how industrial clusters begin.
One large employer brings attention to the market. Suppliers, logistics operators and other companies begin to see an established labor base. Public agencies gain experience working with the industry. Transportation and utility investments become easier to justify.
The result is not simply one new building. It is a larger ecosystem capable of attracting related investment.
Clearwater’s Constraints May Be Pasco’s Opportunity
Monin’s continued growth in the Tampa Bay region also illustrates a broader geographic shift.
The company expanded its Pinellas County warehousing and distribution capacity by 86,350 square feet in a newly constructed Pinellas Park building delivered in 2024. Stream Realty Partners described Pinellas as a high-demand industrial market with limited new construction.
That dynamic creates opportunity farther north and east.
Companies can retain access to Tampa Bay’s workforce, airports, customers and existing management teams while gaining the land required for larger production campuses in Pasco County.
Zephyrhills is not replacing Clearwater or Pinellas County. It is becoming an extension of the regional industrial market.
Monin’s proximity to its Clearwater headquarters was one reason the company selected the Pasco site. The two locations will be able to share expertise and operational practices as the new campus ramps up.
Incentives Helped, but the Site Had to Work
The City of Zephyrhills approved an incentive package tied to job creation, wages, impact fees, permitting expenses and future property-tax revenue. The package was based on the creation of at least 100 full-time positions with average annual wages of at least $46,760.
Incentives will inevitably become part of the public conversation.
But incentives alone do not cause a company to reject nine other candidate sites.
The property still had to satisfy Monin’s operational requirements. The region needed a suitable workforce. The company needed confidence in the area’s infrastructure and in its ability to expand over the next 10 to 20 years.
Zephyrhills appears to have met those conditions.
Zach’s Take
The easiest way to cover this story is to say that a global company is bringing jobs to Pasco County.
The more important conclusion is that Zephyrhills is beginning to compete for projects that once would have been associated with larger industrial markets.
For commercial real estate professionals, the announcement places new attention on land near the airport industrial corridor, supporting warehouse properties, workforce housing, transportation infrastructure and service businesses that could benefit from additional employment.
There are still unanswered questions. The final building size, construction schedule and exact development phases have not been disclosed.
Those details will determine the project’s immediate real-estate impact.
But the broader signal is already clear: Pasco County is no longer waiting for the Tampa Bay industrial market to reach it.
The market is arriving.
