In a ceremony attended by the Governor of Virginia, the Honorable Bob McDonnell; Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo; and Ofra Strauss, chairperson of Strauss Group,Sabra Dipping CompanyLLC, Queens, N.Y., officially opened its new manufacturing plant in Colonial Heights, Va.

Sabra is a market leader in refrigerated dips and spreads, including hummus. Officials said the new facility "more than doubles" Sabra's manufacturing capacity. Meanwhile, they expect the operation to qualify as one of the only food-processing factories to achieve Silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification program. 

"We are thrilled to celebrate this incredible milestone in Sabra's history with our partners and our new neighbors," said Ronen Zohar, Sabra's chief executive officer. "Americans are moving towards broadening culinary horizons and increasing experiences with a variety of foods and we are proud that Sabra's fresh dips and spreads have played such a significant role in this eating revolution.

"Our Virginia manufacturing plant takes Sabra to a new level in terms of innovation and production capabilities and we look forward to continuing to inspire a consumer base eager for a variety of healthy and delicious fresh food choices." 

Sabra broke ground for the plant in January 2009. The new facility will create approximately 260 jobs in once it is fully operational, officials said.