Genera to expand Vonore operations

Genera officials announced the company will invest nearly $350 million to expand production and distribution at its Sustainable Biomaterials Campus in Vonore. Genera will create more than 230 new jobs in the next five years, bringing the company’s total headcount in Tennessee to approximately 350 people. The expansion adds 150,000 square feet to the existing facility and state-of-the-art equipment, including more than 60 robotically controlled thermoforming machines, a fleet of autonomously guided vehicles and automated packaging lines. Initially founded under the University of Tennessee System, Genera has grown to become North America’s largest vertically integrated manufacturer of circular, compostable packaging solutions for food and consumer products, retail, and food service. Genera’s products are made from locally grown regenerative grasses, offering consumers sustainable alternatives to plastics with direct benefits to local farms and communities and a significantly lower carbon impact. Genera is headquartered in Vonore with an innovation center in Houston, Texas.