GOLDSBORO, N.C. — A major infrastructure milestone has been completed at Alianza Team’s manufacturing facility in Wayne County, adding a critical transportation link to the company’s $36.4 million investment at the ParkEast Industrial Park.
The new rail spur serving the Alianza Team facility is now complete, providing direct rail access for the movement of raw materials into the plant and finished products to customers across the United States.
Rail access has been a key component of the project since Alianza Team first announced plans to establish its first U.S.-based production facility in Goldsboro.
The global supplier of plant-based lipids, fats and oils broke ground at ParkEast on Oct. 3, 2024. The project represented the company’s entry into U.S. manufacturing after more than 75 years of operations internationally.
The $36.4 million blending and finishing facility was projected to create 16 new jobs in Wayne County. Alianza Team has facilities across Latin America along with investments in Asia and Europe and commercial operations in Europe.
The Goldsboro facility opened in March 2026 and is designed to receive refined ingredients by truck and rail, blend and finish products, and distribute those products throughout the United States.
From the beginning, transportation infrastructure was one of the factors behind the selection of the ParkEast site. Its proximity to rail and interstate highways provides access for incoming raw materials while allowing finished products to be shipped to customers across the country.
The location is particularly important for serving the Northeastern United States, where many of Alianza Team’s existing U.S. customers are located.
Company officials have said the Goldsboro operation is expected to produce more than 29 million pounds of lipid-based products annually by 2029.
At the 2024 groundbreaking, Alianza Team President and CEO Luis Alberto Botero described the investment as part of the company’s commitment to entering the U.S. market, creating jobs and becoming part of the region’s business community.
The project has involved partnerships among organizations at the local, regional and state levels.
Those partners have included the North Carolina Global TransPark Economic Development Region, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, N.C. Department of Commerce, North Carolina General Assembly, North Carolina Community College System, North Carolina Railroad, Norfolk Southern, Wayne County, Wayne County Development Alliance, City of Goldsboro, Duke Energy, North Carolina’s Southeast and Wayne Community College.
Jackson Builders Inc. has also played a major role in construction of the Goldsboro facility.
During construction, the facility was designed with both rail and truck loading capabilities. By August 2025, the main facility had been enclosed, parking and entrance infrastructure had been constructed, and a rail and truck loading dock was already in place as work continued on manufacturing areas and production equipment.
Completion of the rail spur brings that transportation component of the project to fruition.
When Alianza Team broke ground in 2024, Wayne County and Goldsboro officials highlighted the project as an example of international investment coming to the area and the importance of partnerships in recruiting new industry.
Now, nearly two years after that groundbreaking, the completed rail spur represents another step in the development of Alianza Team’s first U.S. operation and strengthens the connection between the Goldsboro facility and the company’s customers throughout the country.
Comments