SANTA TERESA, NM – The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) announced that vegetable processor Oro LLC will expand its operations to the Santa Teresa border area.
The company has identified a 20-acre site at the Santa Teresa Gateway Rail Park and expects to begin construction this summer. When the facility opens in 2024, Oro plans to create 49 jobs in New Mexico with an average salary of $35,710.
The State of New Mexico awarded $750,000 from the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job creation fund to Oro to support the expansion infrastructure. The company will invest $19 million in the site.
Oro chose Santa Teresa because of its strategic transportation network, due to its quick access to the Pacific Northwest and the West Coast.
The company supplies bulk ingredients to processors and packaged vegetables for restaurants, food service companies, and retail customers. Oro has contract growers in Mexico and the United States and wants to boost relationships with New Mexico growers as it expands in the state.
“Oro sees Santa Teresa as a logistical gateway that will open our products to more customers throughout the West, and that means more opportunities for growers and processors in New Mexico,” said Hugo Ruiz, the company’s operations manager.
The Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance (MVEDA), a key state partner in the effort, also pledged $100,000 from the NMBorderplex Closing Incentives program to help bring the project to Doña Ana County.
The Santa Teresa Port of Entry is a primary crossing between the United States and Mexico, and is the first land port without a bridge structure from the east. As such, it plays a critical role for the industrial region of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, as it is the only port that is not limited by space or weight.
