SEBRING, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that CitraPac will open a new manufacturing facility at the Sebring Airport, creating 240 new jobs. The new 37,000 square foot facility will be constructed at the Sebring Commerce Park and will add a capital investment of $14 million to the region.

Governor Scott said, “We are excited that CitraPac has decided to expand their operations in Highlands County creating 240 new jobs for Florida families. By creating a business-friendly environment in Florida and continuing to cut taxes, including eliminating the sales tax on manufacturing equipment, we are allowing job creators to create more opportunities. Over the past four years, Florida’s private sector has created more than 879,000 jobs and we won’t stop working until Florida is the best place in the world to get a job and live your dreams.”


CitraPac® is a specialty manufacturer of unique real-fruit frozen snacks. President Gregg Harshman’s family was one of the pioneering citrus growers in Highlands County during the 1920s. Although the family sold the business in 2000, Harshman continued in the field and looked for an opportunity to keep the family heritage in Highlands County.

“Florida has been our home for more than 90 years and we are proud to be expanding and adding jobs to our local economy,” said Harshman. “Florida’s pro-business climate has allowed us to continue our growth and we look forward to being a part of the state’s continued economic resurgence. Thank you to Governor Scott for joining us for today’s announcement and making Florida a great state for businesses to grow.”

CitraPac is pleased to make Highlands County the production hub for its Fruit Pearls product. Fruit Pearls was developed by scientists at the Florida Department of Citrus and involves a unique citrus process, which was licensed to CitraPac.

Harshman said, “‘Fruit Pearls’ is the name of the product—CitraPac uses real oranges and tangerines and flash freezes them into ‘tiny pearls’ and mixes them with beads of fruit purees, fruit juices, and yogurts. No preservatives and nothing artificial are used to create this healthy snack for kids. The goal is to have this healthy snack on school lunch trays nationwide.”

Florida manufacturers are a powerful economic engine for the state’s economy. Florida’s strong workforce and top-ranked infrastructure make it the perfect state for manufacturers. These and many other factors such as a competitive tax environment and a superior quality of life, have resulted in a robust manufacturing sector in Florida.

Bill Johnson, Enterprise Florida president and CEO said, “Florida’s manufacturing sector is growing and will continue to prosper thanks to companies like CitraPac and their continued investments in Florida. We thank them for adding to Florida’s strong manufacturing base of nearly 18,000 manufacturers employing more than 311,000 across the state.”

This project was made possible through strong partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Highlands County, the City of Sebring, Sebring Regional Airport CRA and the Sebring Airport Authority.

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “Governor Scott’s manufacturing-friendly policies have resulted in another success story as CitraPac will open a new manufacturing facility that will create 240 jobs in Sebring. Seeing a company like CitraPac, which has been a staple in Florida’s manufacturing industry for so long, continue to thrive is proof that Florida has the perfect climate for business.”

“A true team effort made this happen. And, it’s a real gain for the local economy in terms of job creation,” said Mike Willingham, Executive Director for the Sebring Regional Airport.

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CitraPac® is a specialty manufacturer of the unique real-fruit frozen snacks, Fruit Pearls. They operate on the simple principle that healthy products should taste good. All of their products are made from only the finest ingredients, most from just pure natural citrus fruit selected from local farmers and cooperatives.

Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for the state of Florida.  EFI facilitates job growth for Florida businesses through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses.

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