Ingredion breaks ground on $50 million Cedar Rapids expansion

Construction is officially underway on Ingredion's $50 million modernization project at its Cedar Rapids facility, following an Aug. 6 groundbreaking ceremony that drew state and local leaders to the southwest side plant.

The investment will pump roughly 200,000 contractor hours of work into the area over the next 12 to 18 months. Company officials project the upgrades will push daily corn processing capacity from 45,000 bushels up to 65,000 bushels—an increase of up to 50%.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O'Donnell joined company executives for the event. Rob Ritchie, Ingredion senior vice president, told attendees that the centerpiece of the 9,000-square-foot addition is a new flash dryer engineered to operate with greater sustainability and efficiency than the plant's current machinery.

Planning for the project advanced earlier this year when the Cedar Rapids City Council voted Feb. 25 to authorize financial incentives and back Ingredion's application for High-Quality Jobs Program funding through the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Initial estimates pegged the capital investment at $48.5 million and indicated the project will generate approximately four new positions.

Headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, Ingredion posted roughly $7.4 billion in sales for 2024. The Cedar Rapids plant manufactures specialty industrial starches utilized in papermaking and packaging. Company statements emphasize that the expanded production will help those sectors adapt to shifting environmental standards and growing demand for natural, polymer-based food packaging.

An Ingredion official at the groundbreaking highlighted the plant's deep roots in the regional agricultural economy, describing corn simply as "the soul of Ingredion."