By SCBIZ Staff

ST. MATTHEWS -- Calhoun County has been chosen as the location for a new roasting facility for Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks.

Starbucks Coffee Co. intends to start construction of a 150,000-square-foot facility in St. Matthews by the end of this year, with operations scheduled to begin in early 2009.

The coffee company’s newest U.S. facility will bring approximately 160 full-time positions to the area, about 15 miles from Columbia. Starbucks chose the location based on a number of factors, including transportation access, work force availability, quality of life and support from state and local leaders.

Peter Gibbons, Starbucks senior vice president, manufacturing, said the new facility would help the company support its growth in the Southeast.

The new plant will house equipment and operations to receive, roast, package and ship Starbucks coffee to distribution centers serving Starbucks stores and wholesale accounts around the Southeast. It joins four other Starbucks roasting facilities, which are located in Kent, Wash., York, Pa., Carson Valley, Nev., and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Gov. Mark Sanford said the new plant is evidence that efforts to improve economic conditions for business growth in the state are producing real results for more South Carolinians.

“Our ability to attract a world-class company like Starbucks to a rural area of our state speaks volumes to that,” Sanford said. “Also, given the size of this investment and the number of jobs that come along with it, this is a real win that will have a tremendous impact on the local economy for many years to come.”

As of the first quarter of this year, Starbucks had 50 company-operated and licensed retail locations in South Carolina and more than 2,200 stores in the Southeast region.