In Indiana, officials from The Pantheon and the Knox County Indiana Economic Development Corporation announced the launch of AgroRenew LLC, a processing facility that will repurpose food waste from Knox County’s thriving watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin industry into eco-friendly bioplastics.
With plans to break ground in early 2024, the company has secured land in Knox County’s Industrial Park at the intersection of US 41 and Elkorn Road. AgroRenew plans to invest $83 million by 2026 to build out the facility in 4 phases. Once all phases are completed, the 196,000 sq. ft. facility will span 20 acres and employ nearly 250 people.
AgroRenew’s initial target crops are watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin waste, totaling 100 million pounds per season. Broken down into 4 phases, the processing facility will span 5 acres to complete Phase I with a need for a total 20 acres for projected growth. At a later date, the company plans to establish a Bioplastics Innovation Center next to the processing facility. This 16,000 sq. ft. research facility will sit on 21 acres of experimental crop development; AgroRenew expects to hire an additional 22 science and engineering jobs.
