An international company will build a new stave mill and bring 40 jobs to Brosville Industrial Park in Pittsylvania County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday.
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage Inc. will build its fourth Virginia facility, and buy $7 million in Virginia-grown wood for the project. The company will invest $16.85 million to build the stave mill, according to a news release from Youngkin’s office.
“The new stave mill will create 40 new jobs and source 40% of its timber needs from Virginia forest landowners,” according to the news release. “The operation will supply the company’s bourbon-barrel cooperage in Smyth County.”
A cooperage is where wooden barrels, tanks or casks are made from timber staves. The stave mill will make the staves — slats or narrow strips of wood — sent to cooperages and made into bourbon barrels.
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“It’s a really strong company that has a really strong business model,” Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Matt Rowe said of Speyside.
The employer will pay competitive wages, Rowe said, without specifying salaries.
“They’re trying to determine that based on wage and labor trends,” he said.
Site work is expected to begin this fall, with work on the main facility to start in late 2025, once the company gets plans and permit approvals completed, Rowe said.
Operations would begin in late 2026 or early 2027, depending on the builder’s schedule, he said.
“We’re proud to make Virginia the best home for business, and Speyside Bourbon Cooperage is an excellent example of how government can partner with companies to drive economic growth and success for the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a prepared statement. “The fact that Speyside Bourbon Cooperage is choosing Virginia for the fourth time shows that we have the business environment, economic opportunity, talented workforce and natural resources that are key to commercial success and serve as a testament to our top state for business ranking.”
Speyside Bourbon Cooperage Inc. is a division of Speyside Cooperage Ltd., founded in Scotland in 1947.
In 2008, Speyside Cooperage was sold to the Tonnellerie François Frères (TFF) Group, a publicly held company founded in 1910 and based in France. The company operates stave mills and bourbon cooperages in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia.
Virginia locations include stave mills in Bath and Washington counties and a bourbon barrel cooperage in Smyth County.
The project “continues to show the business renaissance that’s taking place here in Southside Virginia,” said Delegate Eric Phillips, R-Axton, whose district includes Brosville Industrial Park’s location.
“We’ve got a great workforce, we’ve got great, competent leadership,” Phillips said, referring especially to Rowe and Linda Green, executive director of the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance. “All those folks have a great relationship with our state partners.”
He also pointed to the region’s “great quality of life” as another factor that is attractive to industries.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with Pittsylvania County, the Pittsylvania County Industrial Development Authority and the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance to secure the project for the commonwealth.
Youngkin approved a $250,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, which Pittsylvania County will match with local funds.
“Speyside Bourbon Cooperage’s decision to open their new stave mill in Pittsylvania County … shows that the hard work of government to focus on economic growth and workforce development is paying off,” state Sen. Tammy Mulchi, R-Clarksville, said in a prepared statement. “Forestry and agriculture are cornerstones of Virginia’s economy, and business opportunities related to these industries are abundant in southern Virginia.”
“We are thrilled that Speyside selected the Brosville Industrial Park to make a $16.85 million investment in its new stave mill,” Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chairman Darrell Dalton said in a prepared statement. “Through this partnership, the county looks forward to a long and prosperous future with Speyside in terms of jobs and market opportunities for our forestland owners and loggers.”
In a prepared statement, Green said, “The decision to make an investment in the Brosville Industrial Park is a testimony to the high-quality wood products in southern Virginia and to the quality workforce in Pittsylvania County.”
“Speyside will offer diversity when it comes to the types of businesses located in the county, along with bringing new jobs and market opportunities for our landowners,” Tunstall District Supervisor Vic Ingram said in a prepared statement. “This announcement bodes well for the future of Pittsylvania County as well as for its residents in terms of economic growth.”
John R. Crane (434) 791-7987
