RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A fresh foods manufacturer says it is expanding production in the Southeast with plans to invest over $42 million in a North Carolina production facility, which will create more than 200 jobs, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday.

Häns Kissle Co. will build a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing site in Apple Creek Corporate Center just outside of Gastonia, Cooper said in a news release.

The Charlotte Observer reported that the Gaston County Economic Development Commission says the company plans to break ground next month and be operational by next summer.

The 219 jobs will have an average annual salary of $42,018, matching Gaston County’s average annual wage.

Hans Kissle’s project will receive a $2.1 million Job Development Investment Grant approved on Tuesday by the state’s Economic Investment Committee. Over the 12-year term of the grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $599 million.

Häns Kissle makes entrees, delicatessen salads, side dishes, quiches and other ready-to-eat foods for supermarkets and food service customers throughout the U.S. Since opening in 1984 as an in-house commissary for a grocery chain, the company now has a 700-item menu.

The North Carolina expansion will help meet demand with its Southeast retailers, Häns Kissle CEO Scott Moffitt said in a statement.