ASHEBORO – A Minneapolis-based cereal company held a grand opening of its new facility in Asheboro on Tuesday and announced increased efforts to feed the hungry in North Carolina.

Malt-O-Meal Company opened a new production facility on a 33-acre property on 2525 Bank St. North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco officially opened the doors of the facility, which adds 133 new jobs to the area, in front of invited guests at the ceremony.

“We want to be known as a great place to do great work,” said Chris Neugent, CEO of the company, at the event. “We are committed to growth across our company, growth here in Asheboro and growth in the cereal aisle.”

The company received nearly $4 million in financial incentives from Randolph County.

Bonnie Renfro, president of the Randolph County Economic Development Commission, said the new facility is a prime example of economic development.

“This is such a win-win,” Renfro said. “When you think about the 200 workers it took to build the facility and the equipment Malt-O-Meal bought from other North Carolina companies, the economic impact has spread well beyond just what we see today.”

Malt-O-Meal officials also announced increased efforts in the company’s Million Bowls program. The program originally was created to provide 1 million bowls of cereal to needy families in the state. In light of economic conditions, officials said the company would donate an additional 10 servings for every bag of cereal bought until the end of the year up to 2 million servings.

The cereal will be distributed through the North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks.

“Malt-O-Meal is an example of a good thing happening in North Carolina,” Crisco said. “On the one hand, our statewide employment is down. On the other hand, what does North Carolina do when it has prospects? We collaborate.

“When it comes to economic development, we work together.”

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